Shattered
by NewRageInc
Summary: AU.It has almost been one year.Wounds run deep within the souls of two people.Once strangers.Fallen in love.Broken apart.They find new light in the future presented before them. Utterly.Devastatingly.Beautiful.Love.SasuHina Rated for language and themes
1. Prologue

_Okay, so I had said I was done with Love With You and maybe I'd get back to it and this is what I decided. I deleted the last two chapters and made this sequel, let's see who notices first. I don't like the title. _

_I do not own Naruto._

**Prologue**

Ino sprawled lazily over Hinata's bed as she watched her friend fuss over her hair. The days had become longer and longer as summer approached and school came to a close. Their junior year finally put behind them and senior year, their last year, to look forward to.

"H-how does this look?" Hinata turned to the blond, an uncertain look in her eyes. Ino's bright blue eyes turned towards her friend and she smiled.

"Pretty hot, Hinata. You almost about ready to go? Your cousin's graduation is in about an hour and I would like to get a good seat!" Hinata giggled into her hand as she recalled the previous day's events.

"_Why are you here so often? Don't you have your own house? " Neji's eyes twitched menacingly as the blond came through the front door. Ino put her hand on her hip and stuck her nose up._

"_It's none of your business why I'm here so often, I'll do as I please since I'm not here to see _you_, I'm here to see Hinata." She put an arm around the girl in question. Neji's glare intensified. "And just for your information, when they call your name out tomorrow I'm going to embarrass you so badly you wont be able to wait to you fall semester starts to get away!"_

"So you're really going to embarrass him?" Ino scoffed and rolled over onto her stomach.

"I always keep my word, you know that." She grinned and Hinata's small smile reassured her friend that she did indeed know that.

"Is Naruto going to go meet us there?" Hinata's smile faded slightly and she turned her back and began putting things into their appropriate drawers.

"H-Hai." Her voice was meek and Ino's eyes narrowed.

"What's been up with you lately? You've been acting kind of funny." Ino thought back to last fall. Ever since she had stopped talking to Sasuke, it seemed as though her friend had changed a little more every day. As though, even though their friendship was brief, she had lost a great deal of herself when she told him not to talk to her anymore.

'_He's really changed too…'_

Hinata's shoulders slouched and Ino approached the small girl. Wondering vaguely when Hinata had developed such a body as to look so good in the summer dress she wore.

"It's nothing, I just… I-I just don't k-know how I feel… anymore." She cleared her throat and faced her friend, a sadness deep within Hinata's pale eyes making itself more evident with each word that passed her lips. "I feel as though I'm going through the motions of life with no direction. I don't feel happy and Naruto… He's gotten so frustrated with me. I think we're going to have a falling out."

Ino snapped her gum thoughtfully.

"Eh, could it be that you miss Sasuke?" Hinata stiffened.

"After all this time? I-I don't think so…"

'_Sasuke…'_

Ino shrugged and turned.

"If you say so Hinata. We'd better get going."

* * *

_One month later._

"Happy birthday to you-"

"Shut up." Sasuke seethed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he walked into the kitchen.

"Well good morning to you too Mr. Grumpy!" Itachi sang, their mother yawning as she fried up some eggs. "Have any plans for today little brother? Eighteen is a big number you know!"

Sasuke glared at Itachi as hard as he could but the older man seemed unfazed. "No I haven't got any plans."

Just then the door bell rang. They heard their father grumbling about an ungodly hour and his family having no courtesy for others as he went to the door.

"It's Naruto, Sasuke." Fugaku grunted, rubbing his eyes in the same manner that Sasuke had.

'_Naruto?'_

* * *

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair, the pair had walk to a near by park and were seated at a bench, enjoying the coolness of the summer morning. Today would be a hot one.

"It's been a while." Naruto began.

"You could say that." Sasuke muttered. Silence over took them and they just sat there, unsure of how to react after almost eight months of completely ignoring each other.

"I broke up with her…"

"Hn." Sasuke watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

'_You expect me to be happy about this?'_ Though he acted unfazed, his body reacted, his heart clenching uncomfortably in his chest.

"Did she cry?" He heard himself say.

After a moments hesitation. "Iie." Naruto shook his head. "She did not. She didn't seemed surprised either though, she's been pretty distant lately…" He chuckled.

"You really did a number on her." Sasuke smirked slightly.

"If I had done such a good job, she would have picked me instead of staying with you." He said, trying to sound light but unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Naruto shook his head again, this time smiling. "No, it's just that she still doesn't realize it. She's still in love with you."

Sasuke leaned back and admired the prefect blue sky above their heads, his lips pressed together tightly.

"Naruto, you're my best friend you know that?" Naruto chuckled at Sasuke's sudden outburst.

"Yeah, man, I know that but…" He clasped his hands in his lap. "You have no idea how hard it is to watch two people breaking because they can't be together. I can't let that happen to you."

Naruto punched Sasuke lightly on the arm.

"You going to go for it?" Sasuke smirked, still looking at the sky.

"No." Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean no?"

" I mean, I'm not going to go for it. If it happens, it happens." Naruto shook his head.

"You'll never get with her like that." Sasuke brought his head up and looked Naruto square in the eye, his onyx eyes sharp and determined.

"I have faith in fate." Naruto looked even more confused.

"Dude, what have you been doing? That's the corniest shit I have ever heard in my life!"

The two bickered for two hours until they finally gave up and headed back to Sasuke's house. Both were extremely happy to have the other back, though Naruto still worried what having Sasuke's heart broken like that had done to him.

'_Happy birthday teme.'_

* * *

_Two weeks to the start of the new school year._

Hanabi had a sudden serious case of loneliness when she awoke one morning and realized that Neji, her beloved cousin, was gone. She brought her knees up to her chest and sighed.

'_Next year Hinata will be gone too and I'll be left all alone with father…'_ She threw the covers off of her and tip toed to her older sister's room.

As the door opened before her and she spotted her sister's still sleeping form, she smiled.

"Ne, Hinata?" The figure beneath the covers stirred slightly.

"Hm?" Hinata hummed. Hanabi drew closer to the bed side, blushing and pushing her index fingers together in a very Hinata like fashion.

"Could I, perhaps, get in bed with you." Hinata's pale eyes showed slight shock at the request, but immediately warmed as she beckoned her sister in, scooting over and making room for her tiny frame.

The two lay there quietly, Hinata still half asleep but enjoying her sister's company non the less. She hid her face beneath the covers as Hanabi studied her face.

"I'm really going to miss you when you leave…. Onee-chan." Hanabi said shyly, once again catching Hinata by surprise. "I know we don't often talk but… With Neji and then you, I'm going to become very lonely."

Hinata's lips curled at Hanabi's small, meek confession.

"I wont be gone forever." Hanabi's eyes hardened and Hinata knew she wouldn't believe her. She sighed and began a change in topic.

"Ne, Hanabi, may I confide something to you?" The small girl's eyes widened and she shook her head excitedly for her sister to continue.

"My boyfriend broke up with me a little while ago." Hinata started but Hanabi cut in.

"The blond one with the loud mouth?" Hinata chuckled and nodded.

"Yes him. But I found it sort of strange, that I felt somewhat… _relieved._" Hanabi nodded in understanding.

"I would have been relieved too, he was very obnoxious." Her sister's blunt observations drew more giggles from Hinata.

"Perhaps now you can move on and find someone else!" Hanabi went on, excitement once again becoming apparent. "Like that boy with the dark hair, he seemed very handsome, and he looked like he liked you very much."

It was as though her sister had stabbed her in the heart with her innocent suggestion. Hinata looked away as Hanabi lost herself on more candidates for her sister to date.

'_I am a real fool… Aren't I? Sasuke-kun.' _

* * *

_Well that's it, four pages, sort of. Almost two thousand words. It's just a prologue, for the time skip. I hope you enjoy this continuation and I hope I can bring closure to the story I started almost three whole years ago. Will you believe me when I say I re-read the whole story and fell in love once more? Of course, except for my typing errors and what-not. I'll try my best. Leave me some love. _


	2. Forgiveness

_I like to dance in my room but I always end up tripping on a stray shoe. I'm supposed to be doing research for a research paper… Well fuck that!_

_I do not own Naruto. If I did Danzo's arm wouldn't be covered in (spoiler alert btw) sharingan, it would be covered in scratches from all the cats he keeps in the Foundation to lessen the oppressive mood. (smile) I'm such a silly nut!._

**Forgiveness.**

If there were a hand book on how to embarrass your little brother, Sasuke was ninety-nine percent sure Itachi would have been the one to have written it. He had woken up with a start, already in a bad mood because it was too early only to become in an even worse mood when his father stuck his head through his bedroom door.

"Sasuke, I crashed my car. I'm taking yours, ask your brother for a ride." And then he had gone, not giving Sasuke a chance to retort or argue.

It was because of this that Sasuke found himself in his brother's car watching said brother squirm around in his seat, dancing. Yes, Itachi was dancing with a kind of reckless abandon, not really caring much for the road in front. The worst thing about the situation is that, at eight o'clock in the morning, Itachi decided he would also sing while he danced in his seat and drove his little brother to school.

"You give me your number, I call you up. You act like your pussy don't interrupt. I don't have a problem with you fucking me, but I have a little problem with you not fucking me!" Itachi threw his hands up in the and bopped his head, obviously enjoying himself despite the various cars swerving out of his way and people yelling at him.

"What's with you this morning, Sasuke?" Itachi said while still moving to the beat. Sasuke glared. "You should be happy!" Itachi, oblivious to Sasuke's stare. "Senior year, last year, it's a huge stepping stone and what not!"

"How can I be happy when I have to listen to your awful singing voice and watch your terrible dancing.?" Sasuke said bitterly under his breath. He was jolted forward as the car came to an abrupt stop. Itachi's grip on the wheel was so hard his knuckles turned white.

"That's very harsh." Itachi said softly and his dark eyes turned toward his brother. Sasuke frowned and then sighed, taking up his backpack and climbing out of the vehicle.

"I'm sorry." He said awkwardly. "Uhm, wouldn't you like to dedicate a song to all the pretty girls? And the ugly ones too?" Sasuke mumbled looking away. Itachi's face broke into a wide grin.

"Have a good day at school Sasuke!" Itachi sped off and as Sasuke walked up to the school he heard Itachi yelling about giving him his money.

"Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto waved wildly from the door, Sakura stood next to him, both of them were smiling brightly. He never understood how any person could be in such a good mood so early the morning.

"Was that your brother?" Sakura asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Pft." He didn't stop to talk but kept on going unsure of what he should say or if he should even bother with the social aspect of school. It was a bad morning indeed.

* * *

She couldn't believe it, three years at a school and she gets lost on the first day of her senior year. Hinata scurried up a flight of stairs as the minute bell rang.

'_What a nice way to start the day…_' She thought bitterly as she bit her lip and finally found the right classroom.

Pale eyes widened as she found that, not only was the class almost completely full, but there was only one seat left.

'_Sasuke…'_ He was just as beautiful as she remembered. He sat, dark eyes staring off at the wall in front of him, his face leaning on the clasped hands before him.

Quietly she sat, crossing her legs at her ankles and staring anywhere but at the boy brooding next to her. She wondered if it would be too much to ask to rearrange her entire schedule so she could switch out of this class.

The class around them chattered continually, gossiping about couples that did not survive the summer, their flings, where they went, who cut their hair. The only ones who were not talking were Sasuke and Hinata. They only sat, one wondering if the other noticed they were there but never turning to engage in a conversation.

It still hurt.

Kakashi walked in ten minutes later, suit case in hand and a surgical mask in place. There was a rumor going around the reason he wears it is to hide a hideous scar from when he was a police man. He cleared his throat and an anticipating silence fell over the room.

"Well you have all made it this far, congratulations on becoming seniors."

Sasuke scoffed and was already preparing to zone out.

"Seeing as this is an English class and that you are all so excited to talk about what you did over the summer, let's begin our first assignment with the usual 'What I did this past summer was.. Blah blah blah.' Any questions?" The students made a collective groan.

Kakashi groaned as well. "Aw, I have to write an essay about how cool my summer was! It's just the first day of school, how dare he? Well how dare you all show up to my class and put me through the pain of reading almost two hundred essays of your half-assed writing." He slammed his suit case down on the desk and his face changed into wait they assumed was a smile."Now get to work." Shuffling was made as papers were taken out and the mumbling continued though at a more subdued pace as the students complied with their assignment.

Sasuke sighed and as he cocked his head to the side, he noticed a pale hand hold long indigo hair back from a face he had almost hoped he would never see again. Hinata's fingers entwined in her own hair and she gripped harder trying to think of what their teacher would want her to write about, completely unaware of Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze.

If it were possible, he felt somehow that over the summer she had become even more beautiful.

'_Has she been sick? No, she just looks… Older."_ He studied her face carefully. Her wide, pale, lavender eyes still overtook her but the baby fat that made her cheeks full were gone, making her face look mature. An elegance emanated off of her that almost took his breath away.

"Sasuke, you're staring." It was Kakashi, the class had grown quiet, all eyes were on him, including the ones he had been studying so intently. She winced slightly, looking a little worried.

'_Was he going to say something to me?' _Sasuke turned sharply towards his paper and Kakashi continued down the rows of desks to see if the others had started any actual work.

'_Now what did I do this summer?' _He asked himself sarcastically. _'Oh yeah, what I did last spring and last winter. I moped.' _

"Cheh."

'_I'm pathetic.'_

* * *

"So what do you think Tsunade?" Sakura twirled around in front of the blond teacher's desk.

"Think about what?"

"Ah! You didn't notice! I cut my hair! Doesn't it make me look much older?" Tsunade glanced up briefly from the papers on her desk.

"I suppose so. Will you go study or something, I'm only a little busy right now." Sakura continued twirling. "As in, get out of my face."

Sakura stopped and scurried away towards where Hinata stood, messing with a new model of the heart that was set up in Tsunade's room.

"Well what's up her butt?" Sakura spat, taking up one of the pieces Hinata had put aside.

"She's just annoyed that everyone turned in her summer assignment on time." Hinata said quietly, opening the aortic valve and tracing a slender finger along the creases of the plastic.

She had one other class with Sasuke. The last one of the day, Physics, and somehow they ended up sitting at the same station. The whole time she sat there, trying to listen to their instructor explain the syllabus, her mind kept wandering back to whether or not she was pleased at his being so close to her. A biting guilt always killing any butterflies in her tummy, reminding her of what had happened.

'_He probably hates you. What use does he have for a woman who sent him away?'_ She lowered her eyes.

Sakura nudged her with her hip.

"You seem kind of blue, what's up? Bad first day back?" Hinata smiled weakly.

"I guess you could… say that."

"Mm, did you see Sasuke today? His looks certainly have matured over the summer." Sakura's voice was careful as green eyes looked side ways to the girl standing next to her.

Hinata almost dropped the model as her face became enflamed. "A-ano… I-I d-didn't really n-notice."

Sakura laughed and Tsunade slammed her fist against the desk.

"If you ladies don't mind!" Still giggling Sakura bowed her head along with Hinata, apologizing for her outburst.

Hinata gathered her things and walked out of the building, her cheeks still tinted pink at the thought of Sasuke. She could still see him, staring at her in surprise and then looking away sharply. Her pace slowed and then stopped as she heard the soft buzzing of her cell phone vibrating.

She dug around and extracted the device.

"Hello?"

"You forgot about me, didn't you?" Hanabi's annoyed voice said. Hinata's hand went up to her mouth.

"G-gomen… Have you been waiting long?" A small sigh erupted from the ear piece.

"Only about an hour."

"I'll be there soon. Please wait a little longer." She clicked her phone shut and began groping through the depths of her bag in search of her keys.

If asked in which aspect of life she missed her cousin the most, she would say with out second thought of his being the usual driver in their little car pool. Hanabi was now some what accustomed to her sister's nervous habits but Hinata behind the wheel of a car was a different story. She had often become impatient but seeing as she didn't have much of a choice in the mornings, Hanabi some how managed to bite her snide remarks and keep them to herself.

Hinata held her bag closer to her, shifting the contents of her purse left and right, becoming more panicked as she groped. Her keys were not making themselves easy to be found. Leaning against the car she began taking out her bag's contents, using all the control she could to resist the urge to just shake everything out on to the floor.

'_Oh no…'_ Her bag being completely empty, she still had no keys. Retracing her steps, Hinata tried to recall what she had done after arriving at school right the bell hand rung.

'_And then what? I ran? Were they in my hand?'_ Her head rested on the hood of the car, body bent awkwardly in order for her to ease the weight on her knees.

'_I walked in to class and that's when I saw-'_

"You looking for these?" That voice. She jumped up and gaped.

Atramentous eyes bore into achromatic. Hinata bit hard on her lip as she nodded weakly, unable to break the eye contact. A jingle came to her ears and she glanced at the keys he held in front of him for her to examine.

"Well, do you want them or not?" She shuffled her feet, keeping her eyes down cast in order to avoid becoming engulfed in that darkness that seemed to emanate from him.

"Thanks…" Her slender hand reached for the keys and slim fingers grasped, enclosing the object delicately. He continued watching her. Tucking some hair behind her ear she spoke. "Where did y-you find them?"

"Ch, they were on the floor by your desk this morning."

"I-I see." They stood there for a few moments, Hinata's phone began ringing once more, she ignored it. "H-How was your summer… Sasuke?"

He shrugged. "Yours?"

She laughed a little and shrugged as well. "A-ano… I need to go." She clutched her keys and looked up through her bangs.

He was smiling at her, that soft, small touch of a small, just like she remembered from back then. The essence of a smile that had so often melted her heart and made her feel faint, the one that had won many girl's hearts. Hinata could not help the corners of her mouth lifting to match his own.

'_So that how it is…'_

* * *

"Oh come on Sasuke! Bonding has never been this important since you seem so determined to be leaving me soon!" Mikoto was an expert at guilt tripping people, she knew she was good at it and she used her skills to her advantage. Her dark eyes would become wide and she would pout slightly.

It always worked on her husband and Itachi, but somehow Sasuke had become very immune to her guilt tripping approaches. She had a theory it had something to do with the fact of his inheriting most of her looks.

"I don't feel like making cookies." He grumbled, a trigonometry book lay out in front of him as he more or less tried to concentrate. It was difficult to pretend to do homework with someone breathing down your throat about cookies.

"I don't care if you don't feel like it, you're coming!" His mother took the collar of Sasuke's shirt and dragged him roughly through the door, causing him to splutter as his book was thrown aside. He had no choice.

"_I'm bringing sexy back!"_ Itachi sang loudly as he rolled out some cookie dough on their kitchen table. He looked up with a crazed smile on his face, it was only the beginning of September and still hot, Sasuke figured the heat from the oven must be getting to his older brother and mother. He watched them dance around the kitchen.

"Well go on!" His mother demanded. "Grab a cookie cutter and get to work." She strutted around the kitchen and began cleaning as her son reluctantly slammed a flower shaped cookie cutter on the dough Itachi had rolled out.

"_Let's get this party started, let's keep them forties poppin' " _Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as his mother began dancing more vigorously with the beat of the music.

"Mom do you even know what that song is about?" He asked gaping.

"Something about parties and fucking drunk girls right?" She asked still dancing. "I'm not _that _old you know."

He dropped the cookie cutter and stalked out of the kitchen, grumbling about how he didn't need to hear his mother say that and he should have just been working on his homework.

* * *

Hinata held a flower shaped cookie in her hand, studying it carefully.

"You helped?" He nodded, chin resting on the palm of his hand, leaning over the desk where a small container was full of the cookies his mother and brother had finished making when he left. She took a small bite and smiled.

"So if perhaps I said, 'Everywhere I go-" She teased but stopped when he glared at her. "Your family would seem very fun… From what I've heard and seen."

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Yeah. I guess it is fun."

They were supposed to be reading a passage from their books quietly, but Kakashi had stepped out and they were left to their own agendas. The two sat next to each other in a companionable silence until Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Hinata?" Pale, lavender eyes focused their attention on to Sasuke's face.

His heart gave a loud thud, waking from what felt like a long slumber, ready to retry life once more. His stomach clenched and he looked away.

"I'm glad that we're speaking again." She gaped at him, a small tint of pink creeping along the bridge of her nose and cheeks.

"Me too."

* * *

_And that's that! The first day I started writing this (pfff yesterday) I listened to Got Your Money that Say Anything did for Punk Goes Crunk. I do not know who does it originally but that's the song Itachi and Sasuke listen to at the beginning. Today when I started writing where I left off, my iTunes was on shuffle and out popped another cover but I don't know the name of the band but that's Sexy Back from that NSYNC guy. The next song I refer to briefly is Every I Go by Hollywood undead which I listened to over and over again until I finished. So inspiring right? _

_What ever NewRage, shut up._

_Ugh how rude!_


	3. Ache

_I'll alternate, it's decided. I dream about being a super star._

_I do not own Naruto._

**Ache**

Measuring and more measuring and calculating and theories that never ceased to make Hinata's head spin. She massaged her temples as Kurenai began writing some numbers on the board, text book in hand, she talked about solving some kind of problem. Her pale eyes tried to focus on her teacher's words but she couldn't help it when her unfocused gazed wandered over to the form sitting across from her.

She watched in awe as Sasuke scribbled down notes in a small and elegant script, he always seemed to understand these types of things so well. Her attention then turned to her own paper where she had started to write down some notes but then became side tracked and instead began drawing flowers and people strolling down meadows.

The bell rang just then and Kurenai snapped her book shut, the class eyed her apprehensively. For some reason she came off as extremely scary and they had taken to waiting to be dismissed by her instead of just leaving as they would have normally done.

"Well, your assignment is due on Thursday. Good luck. No late work accepted. Have a good day." Chairs scratched the floor and everyone stuffed their papers and books into their bags, rushing to leave just in case their teacher decided she would give them some more problems to solve.

"Did you understand the lesson?" Sasuke asked as they headed out to the school lawn. Hinata shook her head somberly.

"I was having trouble… concentrating." She said softly.

"Hn… Would you like me to help you?" Hinata bit her bottom lip. It had only been two weeks since they're "reconciliation," she supposed you could call, and she wasn't sure if she could handle being in a room alone with him. Sometimes they had trouble sitting next to each other in class.

"N-no. I'll t-try on m-my own for a bit." He nodded.

They continued walking towards the parking lot where, Sasuke suspected, Itachi would be waiting. His older brother had taken to lounging on the hood of his vehicle, smirking as girls passed by gawking at him. Sasuke rubbed the back of his head and grunted as they approached.

"Ne, Nii-san. You remember Hinata?" Itachi studied the girl standing before him, eyes averting and a small blush painted on her face.

"Oh, yes. You have all those pictures of her, so how could I forget such an adorable creature." He said smoothly, inching his way closer to Hinata with each word. His index finger was placed under her chin as he brought her face up to study more closely. "I can see why my brother is so taken with you."

Her blush deepened a few shades and Sasuke scowled as his brother laughed heartily. "Don't mind him Hinata." Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "He's just being a jerk." Sasuke shoved his brother roughly.

"All in good fun now." Itachi continued to smile.

"A-ano… It's was nice seeing you a-again." She returned his smile weakly. "I need to go pick up my sister. I-I'll see you tomorrow… Sasuke."

He nodded and watched her back disappear among the crowd of their peers. Itachi's snicker eventually bringing him back down to earth.

"Mom is so right, you've got it bad." Sasuke clenched his fists.

"You two have got to stop talking about me." Itachi chuckled and patted his brother's shoulder nicely.

"Well, you're an interesting topic. Just so you know, I'm here for you if you ever need any advice… Or condoms. Whatever." Itachi shrugged and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go."

* * *

"Please say you'll come! Please! Hinata I've been looking forward to this day for a very long time and you being there would mean a lot to me!" Ino said, bouncing around the room as she pleaded with her friend.

Hinata looked at Ino skeptically and wondered whether it had been a good idea after all to become so close to her over the course of last year. She hadn't thought ahead to these types of situations.

"I'm just not a big p-party person, Ino." She said quietly, putting some clothes away in her dresser. Ino pouted.

"Well, now _is_ the time to start, isn't it? We _are_ going off to school next year and maybe we wont have time for parties once we're there. Please Hinata, it's my birthday!" Ino exclaimed while diving on to Hinata's bed, kicking her legs wildly. She couldn't help the small smile at her lips.

"Ano… I-it's not you're birthday yet, Ino." Ino's head shot up and she gaped openly at Hinata.

"Oh don't be so stubborn, honestly sometimes I wish you and Sasuke hadn't started talking again!" She continued her tantrum and Hinata sighed heavily as she turned to her friend. Watching Ino behave like that made her resolve crack.

"Alright, I'll go. But please, please, don't force me to do anything I do not want to." Her voice was pleading but all Ino heard was her agreeing to go. She jumped and ran to Hinata, squeezing her in a tight hug.

"Perfect! This is going to be so awesome!" She pranced to Hinata's stereo and clicked on the music, then continued to take the liberty of dancing around her room happily. Hinata watched her friend's happy dance and she giggled.

'_I wonder if Sasuke will go…'_

* * *

He heard the door bell ring in the distance but decided to ignore it as he stepped in to the hallway, he heard a crash coming from the direction of his room. Opening the door, he found his mother struggling to keep more things from falling off the shelves. Just by the brief look in to his room, he could tell she was pissed.

"Sasuke!" She said sharply before he could sneak away unnoticed. He scowled.

"Yes mother?" She let go of the shelves and the rest of the books fell with a thud.

"Sasuke, how many times have I told you to keep these shelves clean? I walk in here and try to borrow a book from you and damn it, it these things didn't almost crush me!" Sasuke's eye brows raised in surprise.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice softening considerably at his mother's anger. She stepped over the mess lightly, a frown marring her features.

"Please pick up this mess, right now."

"But-" She glared at him.

"Now." Her voice was sharp and stern causing him to shrink and revert to the little boy he used to be.

His mother scurried out of the room and Sasuke began picking up several things off of the floor. He decided to begin with separating everything into piles of importance. As he sorted, Ino walked in through the door.

"Long time no see, eh?" She sat on his bed and yawned, leisurely stretching.

"Hn."

"I just got back from Hinata's house." He paused only momentarily before continuing. "I invited her to my party. You wouldn't believe how much I had to beg her to say she'd go, but eventually I broke her." His heart clenched as he finally turned to look at her.

She batted her eyes prettily and smirked. "I knew that would catch your attention." She giggled as he frowned at her.

"Why is it so important she go if she's so reluctant to?" Her smirk softened into a smile.

"Because she's my friend and I would like to enjoy her presence at my eighteenth birthday party." She threw herself on to his bed and lay her head on her on her arms. "I would also enjoy if you would go, that way you could keep Hinata company." Her smirk returned. "Not to mention keep her out of trouble."

He sighed and grunted in response. Ino's smile returned.

"Well I see that you're busy. See you next Saturday, I expect a fucking awesome gift from you!" And with that she showed herself out. Sasuke paused once more as his eye caught a manila envelope on the floor. He had almost forgotten about these.

A frown settled on to his face as he shuffled through the pictures. Each one had a different shot of Naruto and Hinata when he had caught them snuggled together last year. With each image he looked at, he felt his heart become pained with each beat it took. Finally he settled on one of Hinata alone, she looked to be laughing shyly at something.

Her face was slightly pink at the cheeks and the sun shone behind her, giving her a kind of ethereal appearance. A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he remembered the time he had spent with Hinata before she-

'_Before she chose him over me…'_ He clenched his jaw and shoved the photos back into the envelope but did not put it on the discard pile.

'_I don't think I've ever felt such pain over just one person… But… I just can't keep myself from her.'_

* * *

Hinata was curled up on her couch, vaguely watching the new season of Project Runway with her sister. Hanabi had a strange infatuation with the program and often dragged Hinata down from her room to keep her company while she criticized the competing designer's clothing. Today Hanabi was particularly displeased with all of the designer's work.

"What are they thinking? Honestly, my designs would probably be better than that." She fumed but did not pick up the remote to change the channel. Hinata watched slightly amused by her younger sister's antics. She giggled into her hands as Hanabi yelled at someone about their stitching sequence.

"Hinata your phone is ringing!" Hanabi sang suddenly.

"Really?" Hinata looked towards the table where her phone, was in fact, glowing with an incoming call. "A-ah." She reached for her phone and excused herself to her room.

"Hello?"

"Why did you give in to Ino's request?" She smiled weakly and put her hand on her forehead.

"Ano… She was m-much too persistent to refuse." She heard Sasuke sigh on the other end of the line.

"Listen, Hinata, you've never been to one of her parties have you?" She thought or a moment.

"Well… I-in third grade, I went to h-her slumber party." He chuckled and her smile strengthened.

"Let's just say they're a little different from back then." The strengthened smile faltered and she eased herself on to her bed. "Lucky for you, I'll be there too."

"R-really!?"

"Yes. Listen I have to go, it seems my mother is not satisfied with my cleaning abilities. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up and left Hinata to think more about the upcoming party.

'_It really has been a long time since I've gone to an actual party… What would I wear? How is it appropriate to act? Well at least Sasuke will be there to guide me.'_ Her heart lurched and she squeezed her eyes shut.

'_I'm so weak and selfish… How can I expect so much of him when I've hurt him so badly…'_ An empty feeling overtook her core and she put her arms around herself in order to try and ease her pain. Her tears could not be helped and she sniffed, agitated at herself for falling like this.

'_And yet… I still have the audacity to tell myself that… I love him.'_

* * *

Sasuke lay in his room, his eyes half lidded, watching the ceiling fan rotate slowly above him. He was thinking and thinking and no matter how he thought he couldn't come to an answer he liked.

'_Why did I call her?'_

'_To reassure her, you idiot.'_

'_But why would I need to reassure her?'_

'_Because, you are an idiot who happens to be in love with a girl who does not want you.'_

He smirked at himself. "Well, who's to say she hasn't changed her mind about that?"

"Talking out loud like that could be unhealthy Sasuke." Itachi strolled in to the room, juice box in hand, and sat at the foot of Sasuke's bed. He sucked on the straw noisily. "Thinking about that Hinata girl?"

Reluctantly, Sasuke nodded and Itachi's face broke in to a smile. "I like her, she's cute. And she has a nice car."

As his brother went on a tangent, Sasuke continued his inner argument. His whole body felt so strange when he thought about the girl in question. He felt a mixture of happiness and pain and he wished he could figure out which was the dominating factor. He wished he understood her decision to stay with Naruto instead of perusing a relationship with him.

'_Wasn't it obvious how much she means to me?'_

'_You know how she is, she's a loyal person. She doesn't seem like the type to break things off. She's not hurtful.'_

'_She is hurtful because she hurt me.'_

'_But she knows your stronger than that, she obviously had faith in your ability to control your emotions. In your ability to forgive her.'_

'_I honestly don't believe that.'_

'_Then how can I explain it in any other way except that… Maybe she just wasn't ready for such a change. You basically showed up and shook her world just as much as she did yours. Ever consider the ache in her heart?'_

His eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly causing Itachi to look at him.

"A break through?" Sasuke nodded numbly. Itachi smiled in understanding. "Then I'll leave you to your revelation."

'_It doesn't matter how much she's hurt you… What does still matter is that-'_

"I love her."

* * *

_I think I'm getting a fever. Oh well there's this chapter. I like it. I'm so done with it right now. I need… sleep._


	4. Control

_Can you tell I'm just trying to scratch my writing itch? It's difficult. I can't remember what Gai would teach... so now he teaches Spanish, due to a lacking in foreign language. Ay que bonito es el mundo._

_I do not own Naruto._

**Control**

Chocolate cake was Ino's favorite flavor, she loved how the sweetness melted in her mouth and more than delighted to accept the cake offered to her one particular Friday morning. She beamed at Hinata and dragged her finger across the edge so not to disrupt the painstakingly written letters. She groaned as the flavor melted in her mouth and then drew her friend in a tight hug.

"Thanks Hinata, you're the best!" A light blush covered Hinata's cheeks and she smiled.

"I hope you'll have a good birthday." Ino nodded and ushered her into their Spanish class.

"Buenos dias!" Gai proclaimed happily, shutting the door and striking an exuberant pose. The class mumbled a response to which Gai shook his head. "You can do better than that my youthful pupils! Let's try again, Buenos dias!"

"Buenos dias!" They chimed just to get their sensei off of their backs. Proceeding over to the chalk board, Gai continued where they had left off yesterday in their conjugations.

"You _are_ going to show up tomorrow right?" Ino leaned forward in her desk and grinned. Hinata ducked slightly, struggling through her thoughts.

'_Sasuke will be there, so I should go and… and? It's too risky.'_

"I do not think my f-father will approve." Hinata answered lamely. Ino snorted.

"You're sister told me your dad never even notices when you're gone! Are you trying to weasel out of my party?"

"N-no.. I just… It's just-" She sighed. "Yes, I'll be there tomorrow."

Making a small mental note on not taking Hanabi anywhere this weekend, she scribbled down some words. She cursed herself and her weak resolve and character.

'_Maybe it _will_ be fun.'_

* * *

Music beat against the walls of Ino's home as Hinata approached. It appeared as though Ino had been peering through the window. The door flung open, allowing noise to escape and Ino to snatch Hinata inside the confines of her house.

"I was almost positive you were going to flake on me!" She yelled through her grin. Hinata nodded sheepishly and averted her eyes.

"_Does this look alright? Hinata indicated her blouse and jeans to which her sister wrinkled her nose._

"_Will I be honest to my darling onee-chan or shall I fill her ears with sweet lies?"_

"_Too casual?" Hinata bit her lip and gazed in to a mirror._

"_Aren't you trying to impress a boy? Why not show off our mother's fantastic legs?" Hanabi kicked her own legs for emphasis. "You should also take advantage of the last of this warm weather."_

_Hinata blushed and eyed the contents of her closet warily. There were a few things in there that she had not thought of wearing before. Her father often came home with dresses and other types of clothing she preferred to hide at the back of her closet and they would have most likely stayed there untouched. They would have stayed there, had Hanabi not mentioned a certain _boy_ the Hyuuga heiress was trying to impress._

"I-I couldn't decide on what to wear." Hinata said, trying to raise her voice above the booming music.

"What?" Ino yelled and pointed at her ears. Hinata smiled and shook her head. Having given up on a conversation with the blond, Hinata took the cup offered to her and scurried out of the kitchen. Ino had already struck up a conversation with a group of boys. Her eyes dragged across the room, over the faces that seemed only half familiar. Most of the people present were from her school, she knew that much, but placing name and face together seemed near impossible.

She shrunk slightly where she stood and drew her cardigan closer to her body, cursing her sister's persuasive skills. Being too preoccupied trying to find a wall to blend in to, she did not notice the approach of a certain brooding male and squeaked in surprise when he had spoken lowly in to her ear.

"You seem a little lost." She swiveled around and her eyes locked on to the familiar dark depths of Uchiha Sasuke. She spluttered slightly, a blush arising to her cheeks until she finally collected herself enough to avert her eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" Sasuke blinked at her and her shoulders drooped a little more at not being able to be heard from the loud music. He pressed his lips in to a thin line and snatched her hand up. He shoved roughly through the crowd, dragging an extremely confused Hinata behind him. He flung open a random door.

Glaring at the couple they had interrupted, said couple fled the room and Sasuke slammed the door in their wake, muffling the offending music that beat against the walls. This way he would be able to hear Hinata when she spoke, he turned and eyed the girl curiously, noting the length of her shorts and the generous dip of her blouse.

"Better?" He tried not to be distracted too much by Hinata's well developed body. "I had had my doubts about you showing up… But on the off chance you'd keep your promise-"

"I try not to break my promises." Her voice was soft but sure, large, pale eyes focusing intently on the light blue carpet.

"You looked like a deer caught in the head lights." Biting her lip, she swirled the contents of her cup, only just realizing it was still in her hand. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Who gave you that?"

She stopped and brought the cup close to her face unsure of the faceless hand who had given it to her. Before Hinata could bring the liquid to her lips, Sasuke had snatched it away.

He gulped down hard and breathed heavily when he finished. His jaw clenched uncomfortably as he stared down at the girl. "You shouldn't take things from people you don't know. You shouldn't drink this stuff…"

Hinata stared, suddenly feeling an angry bubbling in her stomach. "I… Don't need your advice on such matters."

Sasuke could not help the small smirk that graced his lips when she spoke. "I guess you don't." He sat down next to her and felt her body go rigid.

'_So close…'_ She stole a glance at him and tried her best to keep her back straight, tried not to notice how nice he smelled or how comforting his warmth was.

"I guess you don't, but I think I would know a little better than you in this instance." He continued, turning to catch her gaze once more. She gulped as his eyes overcame her and she became lost in his endless depths of darkness that seemed to smolder with a heat she had not noticed before. She bit the inside of her cheek and steeled herself.

_'I should not depend on him so much...'_

"I can take c-care of myself." Her reprimand cut him deeply but he did not let her look away.

"I can show you that I know better… Let's play a game." Hinata's eyebrows shot up, instantly taken aback from the turn of the conversation.

"A game?" He nodded solemnly.

"Anytime someone offers you a drink, I will drink instead." A cloud of confusion covered her vision, her mouth opening slightly. He licked his lips and continued. "At the end of the night, you'll see what I mean."

"A-ano… Sasuke I don't understand." He shook his head.

"At the end of the night, you'll see."

* * *

"Well what do you guys think?" Ino bounced over to her pink headed friend happily. "Nice isn't it?"

Sakura gazed around the room unsurely and Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I guess Ino, pretty cool, pretty cool…" Naruto's laugh was weak and Ino turned to her Sakura.

"What about you Sakura? Having fun?" She wriggled her eyebrows playfully but Sakura did not smile.

"Ino who are these people?" Ino blinked and Sakura rolled her eyes. "You know just about as many people here as I do! Only you would invite people to your own party that you have no clue who they are!"

"Don't yell at me billboard brow! This wasn't exactly my idea you know!" Sakura snorted.

"Yeah then who's was it?"

"My crazy aunt's, that's who. She's some kind of crazy party animal and decided to throw me a party. I only invited you guys and some other people, I have no idea how she got everyone else to show up." Sakura looked at her blond friend skeptically before studying the crowd carefully.

Much to her surprise she spotted some of Ino's relatives amongst the more rambunctious party goers. Sakura made a face and Ino laughed healthily. "I have to hand it to you Ino, you're family has to be the strangest yet."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've been told that!" She grinned proudly and Naruto shrugged, not really caring who was here or why or how, just that everything would go well.

"So have you seen that teme around? I know you invited him, you all being so buddy-buddy and all." Ino held her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, I know he's around here somewhere, I let him in. Probably sulking in a corner or something. Hinata should be lurking as well, maybe I should have kept a closer eye on her, my cousin is a notorious womanizer and he would be all over her like a fly to honey."

"Ino! We have to find Hinata before she gets properly molested by your nasty cousin!" The trio began searched the crowd frantically. Ino balancing on the tips of her toes and Sakura keeping close to the walls. Naruto nearly cheered in relief when Hinata showed up, walking warily along side his best friend.

"There you are, we've been looking for you!" Naruto hugged Hinata lightly and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. A slight air of awkwardness surrounded them but was easily dispersed with the arrival of Sakura and Ino.

"Oh, sorry Hinata! I shouldn't have gotten so easily distracted." Ino cried dramatically, squeezing the girl in question. Hinata grimaced but smiled non the less, having given up on spoken words since exiting the rooms muffled silence.

Sasuke looked on calmly, or, at least trying desperately to look calmly. Since they had walked out of the room, despite Sasuke menacing presence, there had been many offers of drink to Hinata and like he had told her for each time they offered, each time he took a drink. He could feel his senses fogging and wished he could figure out what type of concoction Ino's cousins had spiked the drinks with. He hadn't bothered with building an endurance to alcohol since he did not really like to drink much but he knew more or less when he was at his limit from partaking in some of Itachi's strange drinking games.

"_First person to say 'Glible Wiggle' loses!"_ He could still hear his brother and annoying friends chanting in the basement of their home. He fought the snicker that threatened to escape his lips when he noticed Naruto and Sakura's curious gazes.

"You alright teme?" Sasuke blinked.

'_God damn I'm a fucking light weight…'_ Sasuke fought hard not to let his mind wander, focusing instead on Hinata's porcelain face etched in worry. It seemed as though no matter how he tried to mask it, she had picked up on his different mannerisms.

"Ne, Hinata, want some of this stuff? My aunt is a genius!" Ino giggled behind her hand, very unaware of what was happening around her. As Sakura scoffed, about to protest, Sasuke snatched the cup out of Ino's extended hand. Despite the protest at the tip of her tongue, Hinata only continued to stare at him in disbelief as Sasuke drank once more from a cup intended for her. Naruto and Sakura exchanged startled looks before decidedly ignoring the situation before them, figuring it best to keep it between Sasuke and Hinata.

His vision began to blur considerably and his stomach flipped uncomfortably. Hinata bit down on her lip and spoke quietly, without moving her mouth.

"Sasuke.. I-I think it best if we left now." He took a few calming breaths before nodding.

"H-hai." The ground beneath him suddenly didn't feel as sturdy as before and the first step her took caused him to falter. Naruto and Sakura jumped, wanting to help but Hinata got to Sasuke before the others could interfere.

"I-It's alright." She draped his arm over her shoulders, on hand on his chest and the other on his back, trying her best to steady him. He leaned heavily against her small shoulders and cursed himself once more for his lack of tolerance. At least he would be able to prove his point.

_'At what cost... I look like a fucking idiot.'_

"We'll go slow."

He nodded again, breathing heavily with the effort of trying to keep his body under control. Hinata's steps were slow and deliberate, continuing her assault on her lip and hoping her panic would keep at bay until they reached her car. Naruto followed the pair out and gladly offered assistance when it came to getting his friend in the car.

"I'll be laughing about this tomorrow teme, as you tell me what's going on." Naruto chuckled half heartedly. Sasuke merely grunted as his blond friend turned towards Hinata. "Take him straight home Hinata, no detours and just shove his head out the window if he decides to get sick!" He laughed in earnest now but Hinata's worry only deepened.

'_I should have just taken his advice quietly…'_ She nodded and apologized for leaving so soon. Sakura and Ino smiled knowingly as they watched their friend drive off.

"What do you think is going to happen next?" Sakura sighed.

"I don't know." Naruto approached the two girls and grinned.

"I'm sure whatever happens it'll be an interesting story later on." Ino clapped her hands together and grinned madly. "Back to the party you guys! Cake!"

* * *

Hinata's jaw clenched tightly, her eyes every now and then darting to the dark figure beside her. She had always known when a person got drunk they acted differently. Said things differently. But seeing Sasuke like this was a true shock.

"Hinata… You are a very nice person."

"Uhm, thank you." She murmured. He sighed.

"I always like the sound of your voice, you know." He seemed so calm and yet the words he kept spitting out were things she knew he would never say so freely, so _openly_. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you home, Sasuke-kun." He snorted.

"Why? No one is gonna be there, my parents are at a party of their own and who _knows_ where Itachi goes at night. I'd rather stay with you." She furrowed her eyebrows, not liking the sound of having to leave him alone for the night. He could, in his impaired judgment, do something very silly. He could even hurt himself.

She continued chasing her thoughts around as she helped him once more out of the car. Her large, doe-like eyes full of slight amusement when she watched Sasuke search for his house key and then panic when he dropped them and almost fell over trying to pick them up. He continued his drunken babble as she led him over to his bed room, closing the door softly behind them and struggling a great deal when it came to climbing the stairs. Hinata willed herself forward, to have more strength for this man, who was more boy still than man, and somehow they made it to Sasuke's room.

However, before they had successfully made it to the bed, she stumbled and they fell, crashing unceremoniously against the desk and on to the wall. Hinata squeaked and she turned immediately to Sasuke.

"A-are you alright?" She had landed across his legs and now scrambled up to study his face.

"Hn, fine." His dark gaze captured Hinata's eyes and she was stuck. "Hinata…" His breath was cool on her face, smelling heavily of alcohol. He winced. He moved closer, eyes half lidded, the alcohol taking full effect, causing him to want to be bold.

_'Liquid courage.'_

He placed a soft kiss upon Hinata's lips, memories of that first stolen kiss flooding his entire being. She kept her eyes wide open and he moved away quickly. Sasuke blinked at her, intensity pushing through the cloud that hung over his eyes. Hinata was frozen on her hands and knees, still staring, and he couldn't take it anymore. He reached for her and crushed her body to his chest, burying his nose in to her inky, black hair.

"Hinata… I never stopped loving you." She relaxed against him, though she was far from actually being relaxed.

"Sasuke, y-you don't know what you're saying." She shifted in order to pull away but Sasuke's firm grip tightened.

"I think I would know what I'm saying…" Sasuke held on to her for a few more minutes before finally releasing her. With her help, he struggled over to his bed and fell heavily on the mattress. Groaning, he rolled over and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'll feel it tomorrow." His ability to brush off what had just passed his lips convinced Hinata his confession was only due to his drunken haze.

'_But they do say that a drunk is as honest as honest gets…'_ She sighed.

"You're not leaving are you?" The plea in his voice caught her by surprise. She shook her head.

"I thought about it, I'd rather stay a while to make sure you would be… alright." The authority and calm way she spoke pleased Sasuke well enough, and he lay still as Hinata sank down on to the carpeted floor beside the bed. "I should have listened to you… in the first place." She spoke barely above a whisper and she leaned against the bed, reclining her head so that she could rest more comfortably.

"Yes, you should have." She almost laughed.

"You should sleep…" Her eyes fluttered closed.

"If you say so… I think I do know what I'm talking about. I'm sorry… Hinata. I really do love you."

'_Stubborn.'_ Hinata turned her head and listened as Sasuke's breathing evened.

"I love you too."

Carefully, she took out her cell phone and typed a quiet message to her sister, saying she wouldn't be home tonight. Her face broke into small smile when she received her reply.

'_I told you the shorts would work.'_ Snapping her phone shut she slumped further down in her sitting position, making herself more comfortable as the ticking of the clock put her in a trance to a numbness that was not quite asleep but not very awake either.

* * *

Around three o'clock in the morning, Itachi decided it was best to head home and tell his brother all the awesome things he had seen and done tonight. He was so excited when he pulled up to the house, he did not notice the strange car sitting in front of their home. Gracefully, he bound up the stairs and barged in to his brother's room without a second thought.

"Hey, Sasuke, wake up!" Cheerfully, he flipped on the lights and blinked dumbfounded at the sight before him. His expression turned grim and he rushed forward. Hinata rubbed her eyes sleepily and Sasuke merely grunted and turned his head. "Woah, what happened? Is he alright?" Itachi knelt down beside the bed.

"H-he's fine… Just tired now." Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. Hinata stood, bringing her cardigan closer to her body. She felt awkward, not entirely sure what to say or how to explain further as to what had happened. But Itachi seemed content.

"Must have been some party." He eyed her slightly disheveled state. "It was nice of you, to sit with him, I mean." She nodded and chewed on her lip, wondering whether or not it would be worth sneaking home. Her father was most likely asleep, and Hyuuga Hiashi slept like the dead, he would not notice her gone and he would leave early, not even checking to see if she were in her room. It was Hanabi she didn't want to wake. That child would be curious, and most likely full of embarrassing questions judging from her earlier reply.

"A-ano, I suppose… I'll leave now." Itachi snorted.

"Nonsense! Since you're here, let's have some fun! I suddenly feel like baking a pie for tomorrow... Or well, actually later!" Hinata began to splutter but Itachi wouldn't have it. "Oh, come on. Besides, I'm sure Sasuke would like you to be here when he wakes up…" Itachi snickered and pulled Hinata behind him, out of the room, to allow his brother some rest.

* * *

Sasuke forced his eyes open, a terrible pounding waking him from blissful darkness. He wrinkled his nose at the smell that came wafting through the open door of his room. He found himself stumbling down the stairs, hanging on for dear life when he reached the kitchen. He put a hand on his forehead and grimaced at the sight before him.

"Sasuke, you lazy butt! You're awake!" Itachi said cheerfully, rolling out some dough, moving his hips to a rough song. Sasuke glared at the clock on the wall, it was too early for this whether he had a hang over or not. Itachi continued on in his dance and Sasuke scowled, about to shout at his brother for being annoying when someone else in the room caught his eye.

Hinata stood at the far end of their kitchen counter, her lips set in a hard line as she concentrating on dicing the apples in to perfect slices. Mikoto suddenly walked passed Sasuke and approached Hinata, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "Oh, Hinata, you're going to make someone a very fine wife one day!"

Sasuke cringed at his mother's gushing, groaning from a combination of a hang over and the monstrosity of embarrassment his mother and brother were successfully making. Hinata stuttered out a thanks and excused herself to approach Sasuke timidly. She grazed her fingers along his forehead, blushing slightly, but trying to remain as professional as she could.

"H-how are you feeling, Sasuke-kun?" All he wanted to do right then was lead her back to his room so he could just hold her until the throbbing headache and waves of nausea went away. He grunted instead. "A-ano… You're brother… He-"

"Don't worry about it, I know how he is." He said gruffly, leaning on the door frame, trying to sound at ease despite the terribly distracting sickness he felt. She nodded, biting her lip, rocking on her heals. He scratched the back of his head.

'_I wonder if I said something stupid last night…'_

"Listen, Hinata, I'm sorry about before." She shook her head, smiling grimly.

"Proving your point."

"Still… I shouldn't have… You didn't have to.. Did I say anything?" Her eyes became unfocused but she shook her head.

"Nothing worht... repeating"

'_Ah, shit! I said something. What did I say? What was it?'_ He wracked his brain, trying to remember anything passed standing while Hinata talked to Ino and Sakura.

'_I never stopped loving you…'_ She chewed her lip delicately and turned towards Sasuke's mother and brother who were preoccupied with laying the dough in the pan perfectly. She bowed her head.

"Thank you, for allowing me to stay. I had fun starting on a pie at four in the morning." She smiled genuinely. "But I have to leave. I hope your pie turns out nice." She turned to Sasuke, not daring to catch his eye and her smile fading slightly. "I'll see you later Sasuke."

Sasuke watched her departing form sorrowfully. After a while, his mother nudged him gently in the side.

"Here." She said softly, handing him a cup of coffee. "This will help a little." He nodded taking the cup, throwing a fleeting glare towards Itachi's direction, before retreating to his room to close the blinds and become a hermit for the rest of the day.

'_I never stopped loving you…'_

* * *

_Seven and a quarter of blood sweat and tears people… Well, mostly time I should have spent writing notes instead of writing fan fiction. It truly is a guilty pleasure for me. And I wrote this in many sitting over the coarse of three weeks so it's slightly (or very) choppy. I think I'm getting somewhere. This fic is meant for a proper ending to Love With You but it's also my outlet right now. Gotta put the excess ideas somewhere. Please tell me what you think._


	5. Laugh

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

**Laugh**

Sasuke munched on cereal thoughtfully, chuckling every now and then whenever Itachi read something truly funny. His brother sat across the kitchen table from him, a book held high in one hand and an apple in the other, reading aloud and snickering gleefully. Itachi had found the book on the coffee table in the family room, after skimming through a few pages he decided it was the funniest thing he'd ever read.

He had decided it was so funny, he just had to go and find his baby brother so they could enjoy the laughs together. Sasuke was not all pleased at being awake three hours before he actually had to be up, but, after hearing the first few lines of said book, he listened happily to his brother's voice.

"I just need you to take me right here, right now! I don't care if there are other people in dressing room! I want them to hear our love!" Sasuke spluttered on his cornflakes and Itachi wiped at his eyes.

Mikoto yawned widely, running her fingers through her hair as she stepped in to the kitchen. Her mouth dropping slightly when she found both of her boys already up and eating. She was about to ask what was going on when she spotted the book in her oldest son's hand. Her face flushed a deep red and it took a great deal of effort to keep her voice calm when she spoke.

"Itachi, where did you get that?" Itachi blinked at her innocently, taking a bite from his apple.

"Coffee table." Mikoto nodded.

"Alright, well do you think you could give it to me?" Itachi shook his head. Sasuke's eyes flicking between his mother's ever growing impatience and Itachi's amusement.

"Why? I'm having so much fun with it." Mikoto's eyebrow twitched and she pressed her mouth together.

"Please give that back to me Itachi." She said through clenched teeth. Itachi snapped the book shut.

"Oh mother," he sucked his teeth and smiled brightly. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, everyone needs a bit of pornography in their lives every now and again. Though I thought you would have gone for something a little more… Refined than this piece of literature."

"Just give me the fucking book!" She snatched it away and huffed. "Honestly you are impossible." Sasuke snickered behind his hand. Mikoto narrowed her eyes and glared for a while but then her expression softened, her eyes becoming tearful. She sniffed. "Sasuke, I can't believe you're graduating and going away soon!"

Sasuke found himself in his mother's strong grip as she sobbed in to his hair. He patted his mother awkwardly, wondering if her emotions would ever cease to be so random at times.

"Mother…" She sniffed and wiped her eyes, laughing.

"I'm sorry," she flattened his hair with her hands. "It's just nice seeing you two get along. Despite it being at my expense." She chuckled and went away from her youngest son to prepare something suitable for her husband to break his fast with.

"Well, better get going! School is waiting for you with adventures and whatever! And I can't be late for my new job!" Itachi grinned.

"When did you lose your old job?" Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. Itachi merely shrugged.

"Got boring, so now, I'm going to work at a new bakery!"

"Woah, you worked at a bakery?" Itachi nodded, grabbing his keys from a hook by the door leading to the garage.

"Hell yeah, extreme bakery. They would only open at night and we would get weird requests." Itachi shrugged again as he climbed in to the driver's seat. "Sometimes you just want to bake regular flavored things and not creepy late at night stuff."

Sasuke nodded, unsure if his brother's secret was really worth being a secret.

'_Extreme bakery? Seriously?'_

* * *

"So the English department has decidedly taken over the Fall Festival and I was lucky enough to be in charge of the booths which is easy. We will share this responsibility with our class neighbors and make groups. As for now, let's brainstorm. Any ideas?"

"We could have a cake walk."

"That's one, who wants to run that?" Kakashi let his eyes fall on Hinata's form before smiling slightly. "I think you'd do a good job at that Hinata." She nodded, chewing her lip and keeping her eyes downcast.

"Bobbing for apples?"

"Another acceptable idea. You'll do good at that red."

"Anything else?" Kakashi let his eyes roam around his first period class carefully. An exuberant brunet bounced up and down with her hand in the air. "You, pigtails. Shoot."

She looked around dumbly touching her hair, realizing he was talking to her. She giggled wildly.

"We should do a kissing booth! Those are fun!" The class agreed in a slight murmur and Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we could make some money off of that. Anyone willing to participate?" His eyes studied the faces of his class once more before decidedly falling on one Uchiha Sasuke. "Anyone?"

Hinata looked around the class to see everyone averting their eyes and smiled at their shyness. Kakashi sighed.

"Fine then, Uchiha, I volunteer you since you seem fairly popular with the girls around here." Sasuke stiffened.

"No, I refuse." Kakashi shook his head.

"No, you're doing it. End of discussion. Moving on." Sasuke scowled at their sensei menacingly but was completely ignored as plans for the festival went forward. Kakashi never skipping a beat.

* * *

Hinata giggled as she tried to catch Sasuke's eye, she bit her lip as her face moved around.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"You're angry?" He blinked and looked down at his food, losing his appetite all together. He locked his gaze with Hinata's and smirked.

"What's so funny?" A small blush covered her cheeks and Sasuke felt a sense of contentment wash over him.

"You're face." She said in a hush. "You looked about ready to kill your sandwich." He raised his eyebrows.

"I guess I'm still miffed for being volunteered for a… _kissing booth._" He spat. Hinata nodded, losing the slight merriment that had been playing at her voice.

"It may be fine. M-maybe you'll find someone you'll l-like." She winced at her own words and poked around at her food. Sasuke studied her downcast face.

'_A hint of jealousy? Or is that just wishful thinking…'_

"I already found someone I like." Hinata's fork faltered in her hand and her heart thudded heavily against her rib cage. Her thoughts immediately going back to Sasuke's drunken confession.

'_He couldn't possibly have been… He just can't…'_ Sasuke leaned on the table.

"So it's going to be annoying… But I guess it'll be alright since I can't kiss the person I want to." She nodded again, suddenly standing from her seat and gathering her possessions. Her face becoming more flushed as she stumbled about the table.

"I have to go… do research." She said lamely before hurrying away from Sasuke, leaving him completely alone.

'_Maybe it's not just wishful thinking.'_

* * *

"So you still love him?" Hinata nodded, burying her face in her arms. Sakura dropped the arm of a mannequin with a loud thud. Tsunade cringed at her desk but did not stop her scribbling. "Well, saw it coming. Naruto too, just so you know."

"It's that obvious?" Sakura giggled, now looking closely at the plastic foot.

"You wear your emotions on your sleeve Hinata. Everyone knew something was wrong when you and Sasuke stopped talking last winter. You just were not yourself and Sasuke was all pissy and what-not." Sakura nodded to herself. "Well… Sasuke was more pissy and what-not than usual."

"But I hurt him Sakura. I feel these pangs of guilt every time he says something nice or… or…" She sighed. "I just don't think I have the right to say I love him." Sakura blew at her bangs in exasperation and turned her eyes sharply to Hinata.

"Look at me, Hinata." Hinata sniffed, but brought her head up to be pinned down by the sharpness of green eyes. "Sasuke loves you." She held her hand up when Hinata began to protest. "I know him, Hinata, and he's in love. And obviously you two can't stay away from each other, now that you've found each other and all."

"Sakura-"

"It doesn't matter how much you've hurt him, he's forgiven you for a reason. He wants you, Hinata, and you want him." Sakura smiled in satisfaction. Hinata opened and closed her mouth a few times before leaning her head back down on her arms.

"I suppose you're right." She sniffed.

"Of course I'm right. Now how do you put this thing on?" She moved a neck brace around in her hands, flipping it over and over again. Tsunade walked over and stood before the girls, crinkling her nose.

"Talking about a boy?" The girls nodded. "Well good luck to whoever is the one having problems. That's why I never married, kept my freedom." Sakura scoffed at Tsunade's dreamy sigh. "Anyway, did you all get the new materials to study for next term?" Sakura dropped the mannequin's head.

"Next _term_?" Tsunade nodded.

"Yeah, they cut our budget pretty harshly this year so we're cutting down our practice runs. More time for studying I guess." Tsunade sucked on her teeth lightly and looked at her watch. "Well I have to be off so I'll see you two next week."

"Hai." Sakura chimed, getting up from her spot on the floor and kicking the mannequin out of her way. Hinata bowed her head politely before following Sakura out of the room.

"So I heard Sasuke is going to be in the kissing booth." The toothy grin Sakura offered caused Hinata to blush.

"H-hai."

"You going to pay him a visit or two that day?" Hinata's blush intensified.

"I-I don't know yet…"

"Well you should, lord knows the rest of the school and some are going to be at his booth." She winked at Hinata's worried expression. With a wave, she watched her pink haired friend run off in the opposite direction and sighed heavily.

More than anything she wanted her feelings to be calmed, for her heart to be satisfied instead of having a gaping hole where it was supposed to be. She wanted for the butterflies in her stomach to be justified whenever she saw Sasuke. More than anything she wanted him.

She wanted to kiss him.

She wanted to comfort him.

She wanted to _love_ him.

Hinata squared her shoulders with new found resolve. He had forgiven her, so she should forgive herself and pursue him.

* * *

Naruto fell over on the ground , holding on to his sides as he chortled at Sasuke, never ceasing to cause a scowl to appear on his friend's handsome features. Sasuke crossed his arms and stared down at Naruto's form, rolling around.

"I can't believe it. Kakashi is making _you_ in to the kissing booth guy? Who would want to kiss you?!" Sasuke grunted.

"More girls than you of course. Are you going to help me out or not?" Naruto sat up and wiped at his eyes, gasping for breath. He shook his head.

"Yeah I'll help you, even if you are mean. I can not pass up on the opportunity to watch you be _forced_ to kiss people. Just what am I supposed to do?"

"Take tickets."

"Can I take pictures too?" The hopeful expression on Naruto's face was priceless.

"No." As was the disappointment. "But you'll help me set up and whatever." Naruto continued to snicker.

"You going to ask Hinata to pay you a visit?" The tone in his voice was playful, the hurt in his eyes contradictory. "Speaking of which, any development?"

"Hn."

"Oh come on, something must have happened after that party. You were smashed!" Sasuke lowered himself next to Naruto, leaning his head against the wall of the school. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

"If anything happened, I probably said something and whatever I said, I can't remember." Naruto chuckled.

"Then how would you know if you said anything? Did Hinata tell you or something?" Sasuke shook his head, grasping at a few blades of grass.

"She wont admit to it but I could tell when I asked her. I said something."

"What do you think you said?" Sasuke took a moment to consider before chuckling lowly.

"Probably something about still loving her."

"I will agree with you on that." Both boys looked up to find Sakura approach them, a satisfied smile gracing her lips. "Of course, you shouldn't worry about what you said, you should worry about how she feels."

Sakura dropped her bag and stretched her arms and back. Her eyes narrowing on Sasuke's before she spoke again, her voice even.

"She told me about how guilty she feels about loving you." Sasuke's eyebrows shot up.

"Guilty?" Sakura nodded.

"Feels she's hurt you too much to be able to say she loves you." She chuckled. "It's very cute." Naruto scratched his chin and looked around the school.

"Looks like everyone is gone for today. What do you all want to do?"

"Movies! Sasuke, you have to come with us this time!" Sakura jumped around in a circle. Sasuke studied his two friends as they talked happily about going and spending some time together.

"Alright, I'm in."

* * *

"Are you ready Sasuke? You've got quite the line already!" Naruto cried, coming around a curtain to grin stupidly at his friend. Sasuke continued his scowl and Naruto made a face.

"Hey man, I don't think you can scare them away with that nasty grimace on you're face. Those girls seem fairly determined. There are even some teachers in that line!" Sasuke sunk on the stool he sat on and wondered if after a few rounds, his sullen mood would cause most of these women to think twice about visiting his booth. Naruto shoved something in to Sasuke's face.

"What's this?"

"Lip balm and chap stick." Naruto said evenly.

"Fuck you." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Don't blame me, Kakashi-sensei told me to give it to you." Sasuke flung the chap stick at Naruto's fleeing form. "I'll take that as we're ready for the first one." Sasuke continued to scowl as the curtain was pulled and there was a collective sigh from the women waiting outside. He felt like some kind of show cow.

He kept his eyes averted as the first person stood before him. He heard her suck her teeth.

"The least you could do is look at your mother when she pays you a visit at the kissing booth Sasuke." His eyes snapped up to the form sitting before him who was in fact his bother, smiling serenely , clad in a gray sweater, form fitting jeans, and high legged leather boots. She cocked her head slightly and he vaguely noticed how his classmates as well as the male teachers stopped slightly in their tracks when they spotted her. "Well pucker up and show your mother some love!"

Sasuke sighed but leaned forward anyway, kissing his mother nicely on the cheek, feeling her body shake slightly in a giggle.

"Happy now?"

"Oh very, it's been so long since you've kissed me I could've fainted from joy! Well I'm done here, see you at home." She jumped off of the stool and sauntered over to her husband who waited patiently by a cotton candy booth. He cringed when his brother came up next from the line, jumping on to Sasuke lap with a slight 'umph' and wrapping his arms around his little brother's neck.

"Alright, baby-bro, now is your chance to show me what you've got!" Itachi puckered his lips and leaned forward but before making contact, Sasuke had stood. Shoving his brother effectively on to the floor and earning him a few chuckles from the crowd gathering around to watch him.

'_Oh this is going to be a long two hours…'_

* * *

"Will the next contestants please step up to a square!" Ino shouted. Hinata stood beside her holding up an ornately decorated cake donated by one of their classmates. "This lovely home made beauty is holding the next prize for this round of the cake walk. Oh and ah all you like, but remember, you can only take the cake home and not this luscious babe!" Ino grinned and Hinata spluttered.

"W-will you stop doing that!" Hinata begged, though she smiled as people took their places. "It's embarrassing."

"It works, look at all those guys ogling you!" Hinata took a quick glance before taking a deep breath. "Embrace your hotness Hinata. You have to embrace it!" Ino wiggled around. "Ready everyone?"

"Yes!" The crowd replied enthusiastically. "Well good luck to you all! Cake!" She pushed the button on the music and sang a few verses before turning back to Hinata. She studied the girl's thoughtful expression before nudging her side. "You're thinking about Sasuke aren't you?"

"A-ano… I… Maybe." Ino giggled, leaning on the table where they had all of their cakes set up.

"Well then when we're done here we should go pay his booth a visit. I have a few tickets you could use for some smooching." The blond smacked her lips loudly, ignoring the pleading looks from the contestants of her cake walk.

"Ino-"

"I know he would appreciate that! Early Christmas and late birthday present is what I'll call it."

"I-Ino-"

"I wonder if there are any bows around her that I could tie on you. Like the icing on the cake."

"Hey blondie, how long are we going to have to walk for this?" A boy Hinata sort of recognized from her chemistry class last year shouted.

"Hey man, five words. However fucking long I want!" Ino laughed maniacally, raising the volume of the boom box and dancing around. Hinata gave a helpless look towards Ino's torture victims as they continued around in their circle. It took two more tracks of music for Ino to decide to stop, giving the cake to a five year old who had wandered on to an empty square by accident. A pleasant surprise to the five year old's mother.

Twenty-two cakes later, Ino and Hinata began cleaning up their station, wiping away stray frosting and enjoying a few handfuls of a cake that had been squashed by a pass-by pedestrian. Ino glanced down at her watch and grinned.

"It's almost time for this shindig to end, let's go see how Sasuke's fairing!" The blond took Hinata's hand and dragged her across the lawn, waving vibrantly towards Naruto when they spotted him. "How's it been going?"

Naruto grinned.

"Peachy except for the snide remarks every now and again. I'm loving this last one, cute as a button." Hinata and Ino peered over Naruto's shoulder to find a little girl perched on a stool, blushing madly as Sasuke planted a chaste kiss to her forehead, mumbling something about pedophiles. Ino snorted.

"Time left for one more?"

"I don't think he signed up for kissing pigs Ino." Sakura said flatly, walking up behind them.

"Hey shut up! I wasn't talking about me, I was talk about Hinata!" Hinata blushed and pushed her fingers together, a habit Naruto knew all too well that went along with such intimate things. He smiled at her gesture.

"I think he has time for just one more." He said softly, taking her wrist and leading her around the table. The little girl ran towards her mother, a large grin plastered on to her face. Naruto gave Hinata a soft push, nodding when she turned back towards him uncertainly. She clutched one first at her chest and shivered slightly before turning the corner and having Sasuke in view.

He sat holding his head in his hands, dark bangs falling over his face and covering what Hinata knew would be an exasperated and exhausted look. She scooted on the seat in front of him, chewing on her lip daintily, keeping her eyes downcast, and wondering how she would catch her attention. She reached out her hand, unsure if it would be alright to touch him, when he jolted in his seat and stared at her.

"Hey…" She licked her lips.

"H-hi." She wrung her hands in her lap as she waited for him to continue. He gulped audibly.

"Are you here for a kiss?" His voice sounded bored. She looked up and caught his eyes, full of a deep burning passion she had come very familiar with. She nodded her head. "Listen… Hinata…" He couldn't help licking his lips when she continued staring at him with innocent eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Sasuke, when you were drunk the other night… You admitted something to me." Hinata could hear the blood rushing in her ears and her stomach did a flip when he nodded for her to continue. "You said… that you never stopped l-loving me." She started losing her nerve, turning her face down, and biting her lip, she spoke more quietly. "W-was that true?"

Sasuke stood from his seat and grasped Hinata's chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Yes." It felt as though her heart had stopped. Sasuke leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft and meaningful kiss. When he pulled away, Hinata found herself grasping to his shirt lightly.

"Then I have a confession to make…" She breathed. She gulped. She smiled. "I love you." Sasuke placed her arms around her waist and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her subtle scent. "I-I have loved you and… I was a fool."

"No you weren't." He brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Hinata's face and then cupped her cheek. "Just a good girlfriend. Hinata, I want…" He thought for a moment, trying to collect the flurry of emotions running through him at the moment. "I want us to try it out."

"That's cute. You guys are cute. I am so nominating you for cutest couple!" Ino chimed from the opposite side of the table. Sasuke sighed.

"Way to ruin a moment." He muttered as Hinata giggled at her friend's excited chatter. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, are you agreeing with me?"

"I s-suppose." He pressed his lips in to a line and leaned over to her ear, talking low and bringing a deep blush across her features.

"Good."

* * *

_Eh? I wrote this at two o'clock in the morning. The worst idea in the world. I busted this out and I think it's a big old mess but it's really cute and it's for the laughs. Besides, helped me sort of get my ideas running for See and Believe Again. I was really sleepy when I wrote this and really excited when I read it so if you see stuff that doesn't sound right please tell me, I may have skimmed over it since I wasn't being very careful when writing or editing it. Leave me a little something. _

_NewRageInc._


	6. Shock

_Beware. This chapter… Talks about sex. In a non graphic, so not a lemon kind of way. Anywho, a lot of info can be found on my profile, I've been using it as a journal and update it frequently out of boredem. It shows progress on how much I've written and when I may update what._

_I do not own Naruto. _

**Shock**

Hinata sat in the middle of her room, a pile of construction paper, glue, glitter, scissors, and various other arts and craft items were strewn all around her. Her eyes narrowed in concentration while she balanced her phone carefully between her ear and shoulder.

"What happened to the first one again?" She heard Sasuke's meager attempt to stifle a yawn. She smiled.

"Hanabi spilled juice on it."

"And this is due…?"

"Tomorrow. I wont sleep until I'm finished."

"Now, please explain to me, why is your calculus teacher insisting on such an elaborate project and presentation for a math problem? Don't you just solve it…?" Hinata almost snorted as she straightened her head and sighed.

"Sasuke… Most people can not be as godly in the math department as you are." Her tone was a soft chastise, playful in it's nature. "I'm almost finished anyway so you can go to sleep if you'd like." Through another yawn, Sasuke consented, agreeing that, yes it was late and yes he did need the sleep.

After two hours of cutting, pasting, writing, and "sparkle-a-fying" as Hanabi put it, Hinata was able to stand back and admire her finished project. Stretching her arms over her head, Hinata eyed the disarray of her room and wrinkled her nose before falling heavily on to her bed. There was a fleeting thought of cleaning up later on just as her mind drifted off to sleep.

"Hinata." She felt someone shaking her roughly and she squeezed her eyes more tightly in order to keep the sleepiness from falling away. Her head throbbed as she rolled over and grumbled. Whoever was shaking her did not relent, insisting on her waking.

"Onee-chan we'll be really late if you don't wake up right now!" Hinata jumped up right and she began cursing silently when she caught sight of the clock. She ran for her closet.

"W-why did you let me sleep so late?" Hinata jumped around the room trying to pull her jeans on with her shirt half way over her head.

"I hadn't realized you were still in bed until just now." Hinata made quick work of her shoes and began pulling her hair behind her, binding it with a clasp. Hanabi calmly gathered her sister's belongings and followed out the door where Hinata was already half way down the stairs with a tooth brush in her mouth. She cringed as she watched her sister slip on the last stepped.

'_If there is a God out there… Please let me survive this morning commute.'_

Hanabi was able to make it just in time for her first class but, unfortunately for Hinata, there was a jam on her way to school. She shook under Kakashi's amused gaze while she tried her best to stutter out an apology and explain her reasoning for showing to just the last ten minutes of class.

"Stay up too late?" Sasuke asked, watching with a cocked eyebrow when she was finally able to slump in her seat.

"I suppose I over did it, but at least I finished-" Her eyes widened. She slumped further with a groan and Sasuke fought to keep the amusement from showing in his voice.

"You forgot your project at home, hm?" He stood when the bell rang. "I could go and get it for you if you'd like…" He added gently when he noticed her eyes beginning to shine with tears.

"That's sweet, but I'll m-manage." They stopped in the middle of the hall and he kissed her forehead before walking off in the general direction of his next class. Earning him a few curious glances, a couple of envious glares from a select few, and of course an extremely flustered Hinata. She turned to watch as Sasuke strode off, hands stuffed in his pockets, and smiled distractedly.

In Hinata's love struck haze, she failed to notice the stairs her legs were taking her to. On her first step, she slipped, successfully dragging down a teacher and an innocent passer by. She scrambled to her feet, a hum of laughter filling her ears and intensifying the flush already spreading across her faced as she desperately tried to spit out an apology.

The day did not improve much from then on. Her calculus teacher ignored the due date to their project, saying it was postponed until further notice and instead they would be taking a test. The only thing Hinata could recall about the test after walking out was how much of a headache she had from staying up so late to finish her project.

Gai had planned on allowing their class to watch a movie and then take an easy quiz but became angry when he noticed Hinata's head bobbing as she snoozed through the beginning of the film. As punishment, he stopped the film and demanded four letters to family members in Spanish by the end of the period. While they wrote he also decided to give a long winded speech on something Hinata could seriously not bring to the forefront of her mind. Her classmates glared at her and she ducked her head, pressing her nose against the paper as she wrote.

"What is with you today?" Ino finally asked, stacking books on to a cart to be re-shelved. The two had opted out of physical education this year to work in the library. Hinata dusted the library plants idly, biting her lip ever now and then.

"I-it just hasn't been the best of days."

"Ugh tell me about it. Listen, I have to tell you something, swear secrecy to me first though." Ino held out her pinky, locking it around Hinata's as her friend offered her own finger to her. Ino sighed heavily, squeezing Hinata's pinky. "So remember how Shikamaru and I were sort of hooking up?"

Hinata nodded remembering the conversation.

"Alright well, last night he came over and my parents weren't home and one thing led to another and… I lost it." Ino watched Hinata's face critically, watching her emotions play from bewilderment, shock, and finally understanding.

"A-ah…"

Ino dropped herself on to the floor, leaning her back against the shelf, stretching her legs out before her and turning her eyes around the room to make sure the librarian wasn't lurking in some random corner. Hinata sat next to her.

"Yeah, pretty… uhm… Well I don't know." Ino snorted. "I honestly don't know what I was expecting but it was fun… I guess. I never thought I'd loose my virginity on a whim though, you know."

"I do…" Ino narrowed her blue eyes before allowing her lips to curve in to a sly smile.

"Hinata, I have to say I don't blame you. I wouldn't have waited long if I had nabbed Sasuke. So you just couldn't wait to jump his bones eh?" Hinata turned a deep tomato red.

"A-ano Ino… I-it… w-w-wasn't…" The teasing smile left Ino's face, replaced with a look of horror.

"No… Hinata, not- No!" She watched her friend cover her face with her hands.

"Please, Ino, don't yell…"

"Naruto, Hinata? Seriously!?" Ino whispered harshly. Hinata furrowed her eyebrows together. "You have to explain to me what type of pretty words he used so I can repeat them to him while I'm shoving my foot up his ass." She shook her head furiously.

"No, Ino you can't tell anyone!" Tears shone in Hinata's pale eyes, causing Ino's anger to subside if only slightly. "I-it wasn't his fault… I asked him… Our relationship was falling apart and… I thought it would perhaps, just as an off chance, perhaps it would have helped."

"Well did it?" Hinata averted her gaze and began picking at the carpet.

"No…"

"Oh." Ino pulled through the length of her hair. Curiosity got the best of her. "Was it good?"

"Ino!"

"You're probably right, I don't want to know, but tell me anyway."

"I-I… Honestly don't know what to tell you." Ino snorted again and stood.

"That bad? I should've expected as much. Does Sasuke know?" Hinata pulled her arms around her legs, holding herself closely.

"Such a subject hasn't come up, yet."

"Playing it safe? Should've expected that too. Well, you'll have to tell him eventually unless he would already know, Naruto being his best bud and all." Hinata gasped, turning her eyes to Ino with a look of fear.

"You don't think he would have… Would you?" Ino cringed at the soft terror in Hinata's voice.

"Well who knows, guys and their conquests or whatever. No, I don't think so, I would have already known if he had. He was pretty sweet on you so you shouldn't worry." Hinata nodded, her face feeling as though it were on fire. She could not understand how Ino could be so casual about these things, but then she had to remember what type of world she lived in. She walked on wobbly legs for the rest of the day.

* * *

"That one is wrong." She was annoyed with him, the way she narrowed her eyes at him, the tightness of her lip. He should have just kept to himself, especially since he'd never seen her this way and did not entirely know how to deal with her. Sasuke watched while Hinata tore through her paper for erasing her work too roughly.

"Oh, I'll just to it later." Hinata threw her books aside and wiggled her toes, digging her fingers through the coarse texture of the carpet in her room. Ino's words had successfully distracted her throughout the rest of the day, and she chewed her lip delicately while she watched Sasuke's hand skim gracefully over his homework.

'_Will he think differently of me… If I tell him?'_ Her grip tightened on the fibers.

She did not, under any circumstances, want him to think less of her but she did not want to keep something like this from him. Hinata did not believe in secrets when it came to a relationship. But she was afraid. Hinata had heard gossip, people talked and she knew that many people her age were extremely judgmental. Would Sasuke be any different?

"Hinata…?" If there was one thing that was certain is that the look in his eyes would never cease to make her heart skip a beat. Always so intense and deep, she shivered.

"S-Sasuke… I h-have something I need to tell you." Being honest with herself and Sasuke would be better right? He watched expectantly while she struggled on how to go about what she wanted to say. "A-ano… Sasuke.. I-I.." A red tinge began to take over her face and she brought her hands up to hide herself while she blurted out something Sasuke was not expecting. "Sasuke have you ever had sex?"

Sasuke gaped. Trying his best to work the phrase into his mind and comprehend just exactly what she had asked. He could not grasp at the thought.

"What?"

"P-please don't make me say it again." She pleaded quietly.

He closed his books and leaned back against her bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"No." He answered finally, a dark edge creeping in to his voice. "Why?"

"A-ano… Sasuke." She couldn't help it when her vision began to blur, or when her tears began spilling over, marring her face. "I just thought you should know that-that Naruto and I… We… Uhm."

"Oh…" Hinata snapped her mouth shut and allowed an unsettling silence fill her room.

Sasuke was upset. He was not entirely sure the reasoning and he felt guilty for being upset, but he was upset. Hinata did not seem, no, was sure she was _not_, the type of person who would have given herself willingly.

'_That fucking bastard…'_

Sasuke was upset _and_ angry and he could not keep the emotion from his voice.

"Did Naruto… He…?" Hinata shook her head.

"I-It was my idea… Our relationship was- I thought it would…" She gulped and turned away. "You're angry." She sniffed and stood, suddenly deciding it would be best to flee instead of having to watch Sasuke's anger intensify while she tried explaining herself. The closest refuge was her closet.

"Hinata please." She had locked the door but despite being separated by a wall, he could still hear her meager attempts at stifling her sobs. His anger was quickly dissipating. "Hinata…"

"Just go away…" She choked. "You're angry because I'm not as… As pure or whatever as you thought!" He leaned his head against the door.

"Hinata, no. I'm not angry at you… I'm angry at Naruto." He heard a few more sniffles before a clicking and the door swung open. Hinata looked up at Sasuke shyly. He brought his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Why are you mad at N-Naruto?" She brought her own arms around his waist and squeezed with all her strength. He breathed in her soft scent.

"I feel as though he took advantage of you." His chest vibrated against her ear. It was not often that they allowed themselves to be put in to such an intimate situation.

"He did not… I can assure you." He hummed against her hair. "Do you… Think any less of me?" That unsure tone in her voice caused him to curse himself for being exaggerated in his anger. He caught her chin between his fingers and brought his lips to hers softly, gently. A caress more than an actual kiss.

"Hinata, you could murder the queen of England and I would not think any less of you…" Warmth flooded her tummy and her heart beat madly, his breath fanning over her lips. She had to remember to thank Ino for bringing the subject up later.

* * *

Naruto could have sworn he had fallen asleep alone. He blinked a couple of times before coming more or less to his senses.

"Teme, what're you doing in my room?" Sasuke didn't turn his head, he sat at the foot of Naruto's bed.

"Your mother let me in." Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" He had known Sasuke long enough to take note of the edge in his voice.

"Tell you what?"

"That you slept with her." Naruto stiffened before narrowing his eyes.

"So she told you… Well, I didn't think it was up to me for you to find out." He watched his friend rub at his temples tiredly. "Does it bother you?"

"She seemed so guilty. Like she felt she had to confess to me and she seemed so sure that I would be angry at her for not being…"

"And were you?"

"I was more mad at you than anything… It seemed like she'd been very vulnerable towards the end…"

"She was."

"Then why did you?" Sasuke turned to his friend, his eyes smoldering. Naruto gulped.

"It was her idea, I just went along with it… She was just as anyone would have expected her to be." Sasuke groaned and threw himself. back.

"I honestly do not need to hear any of that from you." Naruto snickered before going back to all seriousness.

"It was a one time deal. I wouldn't do that to her again. She cried a lot, I didn't know what to do with myself." He shrugged before leaning back on the headboard. Sasuke cringed but said nothing, glad that his friend was at least not as much of a horny prick as he would have initially guessed. "Anyway, I'm happy for you. It seems like she really wants this to work if she is confiding that much to you."

Sasuke sighed before pushing himself back up.

"Well that was it. I guess I'll see you later." Sasuke shoved his hands in to his pockets and showed himself out. Kushina decided to pop in to her son's room.

"What was that about?" She asked lightly, taking in the frown on her son's usually cheerful face.

"Girl problems." Kushina blinked before looking down the hall with a quizzical expression.

"Girl problems… I always thought he was gay."

* * *

"So what? She has a little more experience than you do, and probably not by much, made you two stronger didn't it?" Itachi said simply, poking at a loaf of bread he had in the oven. Sasuke couldn't help his sulking, despite having reconciled and comforted Hinata, and even forgiving his friend, he felt a little bummed. A tad bit sad. He felt like he shouldn't have reacted as he had.

What kind of person was he turning out to be?

"You are seriously over analyzing yourself." Itachi put the loaf on a cooling rack before switching off the oven and turning to watch his brother with an amused smirk.

"I feel bad, like I should have handled something like that better." Itachi shrugged before putting two of his fingers to his brother's forehead, pushing lightly, in reminiscence of when they were younger.

"Sasuke, you are terribly young, aren't you?" Sasuke scowled, swatting at Itachi's hand before continuing in his sulking position on the kitchen table. "I'm sure all of this will work itself out. She trusts you, Sasuke. Don't fuck it up."

That could have been the best advice Itachi had ever given his little brother.

* * *

_NewRage, you want to be a little more random?_

_Don't judge me. I started writing this fic for the sake of writing._

_NewRage, you want to make a little more sense?_

_Naw, I'm cool. _

_On a side note. Someone once asked me how to get an account here and I keep getting unsigned reviews, which annoys the hell out of me. On the top right hand corner of the screen, there's a little button that says 'Sing Up' and you click on that. Alright. Leave me some love or something._


	7. Bésame

_Warning, fluff abound. _

_"Bésame de un grito que ya no te aguantas" -Bésame Bonito by Iskander_

_which would roughly be (roughly being my own interpretation)_

_"Kiss me while you're screaming that you cannot take it anymore"_

_I do not own Naruto._

**Bésame**

Nothing had ever seriously possessed Sasuke to wake at insane hours of the morning willingly, one had to basically drag him out of bed when it came to being early to anything that meant waking while the sun was still hidden beneath the horizon . Hinata knew this very well, had even giggled when faced with her grumpy boyfriend in the mornings, so she was surprised at being shaken to wakefulness one Saturday morning by said boyfriend.

With the sun still tucked snuggly in it's place, Sasuke stood over her form with a rare smile playing at his lips. Hinata mumbled incoherently and turned over, burrowing deeper into a cocoon of blankets and pillows. Sasuke resisted a snort and turned an inquisitive look to Hanabi who stood at the door way, yawning prettily in to her hand. When he caught her eye, she merely shrugged and turned heel to most likely seek sleep.

He leaned over a little more so that he was close enough to speak directly above Hinata's ear.

"Hinata, I was wonder if you wanted to go out for a run with me…" He said softly and waited. When Hinata did not stir, Sasuke decided on a different tactic. "You look very beautiful with your hair all messed up Hinata."

He watched in amusement when her body stiffened. Hinata grabbed her blanket and tugged it over her head with a soft yelp. Sasuke chuckled.

"P-please.. Sasuke." Sasuke nodded, trying not to allow what laughter he was able to hold back escape and cause the blush he knew to be hidden beneath her blankets to intensify.

He waited out in the hall way until she had deemed herself to be somewhat half presentable and stepped out to join him.

"W-what are you doing here so early?" Sasuke shrugged. Dark eyes traced the petite form standing before them. He smirked when he noticed her toe nails had been painted by a clumsy hand in a zebra pattern. She curled her toes and hugged herself tightly, blushing at his amused smirk.

"My parents went out of town early to visit some family and I couldn't sleep after I left. So I had a thought and I ran with it." Hinata looked at him skeptically through her bangs. He snorted, pushing away from the wall. "If you don't want to, I'll go by myself."

She bit her lip and shook her head, averting her eyes with a blush tingeing her cheeks.

"No. I-I'll go, just give me a moment." He nodded and turned from her retreating form, thinking it best if he waited closer to the door.

* * *

Hinata continued watching Sasuke curiously as he drove them to an undisclosed location. She cut her eyes to the right and fiddled with the hem of the shorts she had decided to wear despite the chill.

"You're awake early today." She said simply and Sasuke nodded curtly, eyes flicking in her direction before concentrating on the road ahead of them.

"I couldn't sleep after my parents left, I already told you." She nodded. A flush flooded her cheeks and she ducked her head meekly before mumbling something that caused a gentle laugh to escape Sasuke's lips. Hinata continued to fidget.

"I prefer yoga to running…" Sasuke snorted.

"Running is _the_ best kind of exercise." She wrinkled her nose.

"I-I don't think I'd be able to keep up with you." The disdain in her voice allowed Sasuke the courage to move his hand over hers. She entwined their fingers and he applied pressure, rubbing her hand gently with his thumb.

Heart beginning to accelerate, butterflies going in to a frenzied flight in his stomach, Sasuke clenched his teeth. The simplest of contact from this girl, this beautiful, intelligent, sweet, girl, _his_ girl, made his blood rush. A twinge of heat, a desire he fought to keep stuffed to the back of his mind for later examination. Yes, he was positive if Hinata knew the sexual tension she brought on with that demure smile of hers, she would have turned a tomato red and refused to speak to him.

As soon as they arrived to a spot he deemed suitable for running, a place he and his brother used to frequent that was close to home, he bit back those unsaid desires.

Hinata remained oblivious to Sasuke's inner workings, though his tense gait did not go unnoticed and she pondered it offhandedly.

The sky turned and swirled around them as though the clouds themselves were ingredients to a witch's brew, flowing in a caldron filled with ominous things. Wind skewed the trees into a graceless dance and chilled Hinata so much so, she wished she had opted for pants.

"Well, we should hurry before the sky breaks." Hinata nodded mutely, determination lighting up her eyes.

"Hai."

They started off slow, keeping pace with the crunch of dirt beneath their feet, each foot fall a cadence to their gaining speed. Hinata tried concentrating on her breathing, knowing it would be important to her ability to keep pace with Sasuke. She chanced looking over at him and smiled.

His sure and graceful stride would have made her swoon were she not determined to prove she was not as terribly out of shape as she was sure he assumed her to be. The run continued but it was hard not to trip or stumble when you had a lean, well cut, eighteen year old running beside you as a distraction.

After traveling a fair distance, Sasuke slowed, turning to face Hinata but never so much as faltering in his steps. Her lungs burned with icy air she was now struggling to not gasp at, he snorted and stopped suddenly.

"Tired?" She leaned the palms of her hands on her knees, she felt hot and sticky despite the ever growing velocity of the wind whipping around their forms. Her legs wobbled beneath her and he immediately went to support her so she would not fall to the ground.

"I-I…" She gulped, hoping she would have the ability to catch her breath soon. Before she could try to answer again, a fat drop of water landed on her nose.

"It's raining, come on, I'll help you." She nodded, leaning on Sasuke, grateful for his presence as they made their way back. "We'll go to my house." She nodded again, uncaring where he took her as long as she would be able to sit for a while.

* * *

"Here." Sasuke shoved some clothes in to Hinata's arms when they had entered the home. "You know where the shower is." He watched her close the door and heard the click of a lock before sighing and leaning on the wall.

Watching water drip down her face, her hair, her arms, her legs… Was pure torture to him. He had to work hard just to get out a sentence that sounded only remotely as he usually spoke to her, he could not hide the edge of his voice from her. Shoving her into the shower was the sanest thing he could come up with to get her away from him.

Grumbling, he dug around his room for something to change in to and retreated to his parents room to shower there.

Meanwhile, Hinata decided a little snooping was in order.

She was usually not the type to meddle, but curiosity got the best of her. Her lips pressed together in to a fine line, hovering over the sink, a puddle forming around her feet as she continued to drip from her long, inky locks. She opened the cabinet and almost rolled her eyes, she should not have been surprised, of course he would be neat and orderly. Turning from the cabinet, Hinata began undressing.

'_If I linger any longer in these clothes I'll get sick.'_ She stopped with her shirt half way over her head, turning an intense shade of red. The thought had just occurred to her. This was Sasuke's bathroom, he showered here… Hinata shook her head, wrinkling her nose and tossing her shirt aside. _'It's just a shower.'_

So she went through the motions, quickly, not wanting to have to spend more time in this place than she had to. She felt awkward, as though she were violating something. At the same time, she also felt somehow closer to her new boyfriend, this felt intimate, she was showering in his shower. That was intimate, right?

Extremely so, but, would it perhaps be more intimate than wearing his clothes?

Hinata eyed the pajama pants and t-shirt he had gracelessly shoved in to her arms. She considered just turning back and wearing her own clothing, but they were still soaking wet and he would give her a strange look if she showered and then changed back _into_ her wet clothes. Sighing, she pulled them on, hoping the blush on her face would be more or less normal and not give away the thoughts circling through her mind.

She found Sasuke lounging in the living room, thumbing through a book without much interest, or at least what she could assume was disinterest. Sasuke was in fact trying to distract himself from the same thoughts Hinata herself was having but without much success. He had picked up the romance novel his brother had been taunting his mother with. Slamming the book shut, he noted to tell Itachi to quit with the tormenting so perhaps next time he picks up a book it will be of the less smutty nature.

She sat down next to them, her body rigid, the heat at her face a constant reminder of her ever growing embarrassment. They did not turn to each other, they did not speak, only allowed the lullaby of the rain pattering outside the windows break what would have been tense silence.

Thunder rumbled in the background and Hinata cringed.

'_How much longer will this storm last?'_

"Do you have to be home soon?" She shook her head. "Okay."

In situations like this, with previous girlfriends, there would have been no question as to pass the time. There would have been no awkward silences and the thoughts he was fighting to keep at bay would have been at the forefront of his mind. Sasuke would not have felt ashamed of himself but having Hinata as a girlfriend was a different story… She was _not_ like the others.

'_But she _is_ my girlfriend, so if I wanted…'_ He cleared his throat, eyeing Hinata warily, unsure of how to approach something like this. The most they had ever done together were simple kisses and hugs, though they were very _nice_ kisses and hugs, so nice that he had to wonder what else felt nice with her.

"So… You want to make out?"

'_Smooth.'_ His hand immediately went to his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Hinata went livid.

"A-a-ano…" She began shifting uncomfortably in her seat and he felt like kicking himself.

"We don't have to- I'm sorry. That was stupid." Lightening lit up the room momentarily, the power cut and a sharp crash was heard. The walls of the house shook, shuddering and shivering against the wind, which began howling with new found strength. Hinata gulped, hugging her arms around her.

"No… I was just… I don't know I-if you'll like it… when.. I-if I'm g-good, you know?" Sasuke had to do a double take, using all of the power he had left to not drop his jaw. Hinata pushed her fingers together shyly.

"I'm sure you're fine…" He said softly, pulling her hands away from each other and squeezing them. She nodded, unable to find the strength to look at him directly.

She felt his weight shift next to her, the warmth of his hands on her waist and jaw line sending shivers down her spine. She licked her lips nervously, eyelids drooping instantly when she felt Sasuke smile close to her mouth.

"This… isn't awkward." He breathed, feeling the tension immediately leave her body. She hadn't realized she had been keeping herself so tense. He pressed his lips to hers gently.

Sasuke's careful nudges made her heart flutter, his gentle coaxing so different from what she was used to from Naruto. She would have always imagined Sasuke to be more demanding when it came to things like _this_ and she had doubted her ability to please him. But this was so different from what she imagined.

He had tightened his hold of her waist, moving his arm around her and bringing her closer to him possessively. One hand kept her chin in place, firm in it's grip so that she would not think of getting away before he had the opportunity to experience her as he wanted to.

He caressed his tongue over her bottom lip and Hinata shivered violently. Sasuke could still taste the mint from her tooth paste from the morning. He did not relinquish his hold of her, if anything he pulled her closer still as she slid her arms around his neck, responding to his gentle urging unconsciously.

The rain continued it's relentless assault against the windows of the Uchiha home, but such noise fell upon deaf ears. Sasuke and Hinata had become too engrossed to notice a distant door slam and the mumbling of another presence having entered the house.

"Hey Sasuke I was wondering if-" Hinata yelped, pushing Sasuke away from her roughly, successfully landing him on to the floor. She drew her legs up and buried her flushing face in to her knees. Sasuke rubbed at the place where the coffee table had hit his head and scowled at his brother for the intrusion.

Itachi merely smirked. "Oh, I guess I was interrupting something, now wasn't I?" Sasuke threw a throw pillow at his older brother's form, the strength of Itachi's chuckle growing into a hardy laugh.

"What do you want?" Itachi ignored his brother's glare and the slight threat beneath his words, striding over to Hinata and put a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to shrink at his touch.

"Now, now dear, don't worry about it. You two are teenagers after all, hormones and what-not, embrace it honey." He cooed and her face reddened more. Hinata had not felt this mortified since she decided to tell Sasuke of the state of her innocence, or rather, lack there of.

"P-please excuse me." Sasuke pressed his lips in to a fine line before turning on his brother as Hinata's form retreated up the stairs. Itachi held up his hands defensively.

"I was lonely, without mother bothering, I got bored." A clap of thunder resonated through the air and Itachi flinched. Sasuke relaxed his features.

"You're scared of the storm too, aren't you?" Itachi snorted but Sasuke did not let the slight shiver than ran through his brother's body as a flash of lightening lit up the house.

"I'd just rather not be alone in the middle of a violent storm."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've always wondered, nii-san, what on earth happened to your _balls_? Have you loaned them out to one of your gay friends?" Itachi's posture stiffened.

"You are such a jerk." He finally said through gritted teeth before turning away with his nose up. "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen." The lights flickered feebly before turning off again and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

'_Seriously… What is it Naruto would have called this? Cock blocked? Effectively, I'd say so.'_

Sasuke found Hinata had retreated to his bedroom, slouching on his bed. She nibbled on her lip as Sasuke moved to sit next to her and watch her shrink further in to her slouch. The steady patter of rain becoming deafening with each moment passed and Hinata began to wring her hands uncomfortably.

"A-ano… Sasuke, y-you never told me what your f-father does…?"

_'Start a conversation, let everything cool down…'_ Sasuke moved closer to her on the bed, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her over to him.

"Mm, I thought most people knew. He is the chief of police, the reason we're fairly well off is because my mother has luck in stocks or something." He pressed his lips to her temple and Hinata felt herself go limp at his affections.

There was something about being held like that, having him wrapped around her that sent her heart thudding. She felt heat and electricity course through her body and her mind instantly halted in it's tracks, leaving her almost unable to draw breath.

Yet, there was that slight hitch, a snag really, in allowing herself to fully allow herself to enjoy being in Sasuke's presence as she would have liked. There was that small bit of guilt still holding her back, that little semblance of regret from long ago. She wanted to talk about it but she did not know if opening those wounds would do well to their delicate relationship.

In her heart she knew what she wanted. Sasuke had verbalized a few times already, that simple phrase, those three words that had many girls jealous of Hinata. Those three words she had only uttered once since their relationship began. Those _three_ words that were beginning to become more and more difficult to even form in her mind, much less on her tongue.

"What's wrong?" He finally asked. She gulped and that ever present heat in her face seemed to intensify.

"I-I… I'm worried about Hanabi." She lied, or half lied. She really was worried about Hanabi, so it counted, even if she hadn't begun to worry until her sister's name left her lips. "She hasn't called, s-she was supposed to be g-going to a friend's house today."

Sasuke nodded in understanding, standing to check out the window.

"Well, I guess I could take you back so you can wait for her at your house, the rain has calmed."

She nodded mutely, beginning to follow him out of his room.

'_Now I feel bad for wanting to get away…'_

* * *

"You are _still_ with that? Honestly Hinata, get over it! You have your man, now just go with it! Now describe to me, is he rough and demanding? Sloppy? Considerate? Do his hands wander?" Hinata narrowed her eyes at the blond before her before sighing and giving her a half-hearted smile.

"I would get over it… If I _could_. That guilt will not leave the back of my head and it's making me feel even worse, like I can't give him all of what he wants." She blushed before continuing. "No he is not rough, demanding, or sloppy, but he is fairly considerate… Gentle even." Ino's lips curved into a smile as she watched a dreamy fog cross her friend's eyes.

"Whatever, Hinata, you should probably talk to him about it. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, I mean, you would want him to tell you stuff when ya'll are married and are about to have your first kid!"

"W-what?" Hinata's room suddenly began to go dark. She felt Ino's strong grip at her shoulders, shaking her roughly.

"Get a grip over yourself Hinata!" Slowly, she was able to regain her composer and send a nervous glare at her friend.

"W-who said anything a-about getting m-married?!" Ino snorted, shuffling through the bag of homework she had brought to work on while at the Hyuuga's home.

"Sakura, Naruto, and I were bored yesterday night and we planned you two's life." Ino slapped a notebook in front of Hinata and opened it to a page full of scribbles from three different people. "See, we think it'd be best if you got married after finishing school and in the winter since the colors and time of year match well with you two. Look, Sakura and I even looked up dresses we think you would look nice in. We couldn't agree on the color of your house but we did like the look of this one we cut out from a magazine. Oh! We also made a list of baby names…"

Hinata shifted the pictures before her and continued assaulting her lower lip with her teeth, it seemed her friends had put a lot of effort in their project. They were probably also having a very good time. Ino was smiling expectantly at Hinata.

"What do you think?"

"I t-think you all a-are properly insane… I'm only seventeen." Ino brushed that fact aside with a wave of her hand.

"Please, Hinata, give me a break. We all can see how gaga you two are about each other, here's some food for thought." Ino closed her eyes, sitting properly on her legs for the first time since arriving in Hinata's room. She opened them again, this time her features were more serious. "Most relationships senior year end because of obvious reasons, those that survive are rare. So basically, all of us are putting our money on you two, you and Sasuke will go the distance. It's endearing really."

Hinata rubbed her forehead tiredly, sighing heavily and pushing away from the papers Ino had placed before her.

"How can all of you… Expect us to go _anywhere_ if I can't even tell him I l-l… love him."

"Well you just said it now." Ino seemed bored already, examining her nails and flicking at her cracking nail polish. "All we need is Sasuke, problem solved." Blue eyes looked up and immediately softened. "Oh, Hinata… I'm sorry. I do know what you mean…"

Hinata leaned feebly against the wall of her room, her knees drawn up under her chin, and she did her best to keep her composer in place in front of her friend. She felt so confused, why on earth was she having so much trouble with the simple truth of her feelings? Why was she holding herself back?

'_Why does this seem so familiar?'_

* * *

_Dearest Reader,_

_I have been a very bad girl. I have one more month of school and my concentration is dwindling. I have diligently been working on this for I'd say three weeks, a little bit at a time whenever I found it. This is the product. I think I know where I'm going with this now. Leave me a little something._

_NewRageInc._

_P.s. I have made it to the top twenty students of our high school class, I am no longer on probation with NHS, I made an appearance representing the band as president, and I have resolved issues with my financial aide. So no, I have not been dawdling, I really was busy._


	8. Simplicity

_"The torment of an extremely attractive ninja who is lusted after by pretty much every girl he's ever met, mine is indeed a tormented existence, filled with torment..." - Sasuke, Naruto Abridged_

_I do not own Naruto._

**Simplicity**

Rain continued it's pitter patter against her bedroom window as the evening progressed. Hinata had her medical books spread around her bed as she feigned studying so her sister would think twice about disturbing her. She kept time with a single toe as minutes ticked away in steady rhythm. She felt oddly empty, unsure, and she was giving herself the run around whenever she tried to reason her feelings.

When it came down to what she _was_ able to figure out, it would seem as though she was getting second thoughts about admitting her feelings to Sasuke. The whole of the situation seemed vaguely familiar to her.

'_Ah, that's right… Nii-san.'_ She shoved her books away from her, each of them falling with a thud on her carpeted floor while she searched for her cell phone. Dialing the number, she prayed that he had a rare moment of free time when he answered.

"N-Neji?" She almost choked.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" She grabbed a pillow from behind her and hid her face within the folds of the cloth.

"A-are you busy nii-san?" She heard a few muffled voices and a door close before her cousin spoke again.

"No. What's the matter Hinata?"

"I-I feel so confused!" She sniffed into the pillow. "Do you remember when you and Ten Ten had first started dating?" She could almost hear Neji's confusion as he answered that he did. "Do you remember when you broke up with her because y-you felt as t-though you were leading her on?"

"Hinata…"

"I just s-starting feeling that way… About Sasuke. He says he loves me and I know I feel the same but… I cannot help the repulsion I feel with myself for having hurt him before. I cannot help feel confused where as before I was so sure I knew I wanted him… I was so sure I was ready to forgive myself… I feel like s-some type of big neurotic mess w-who can't even keep a relationship going for more than a few months!"

"Hinata-"

"And the worst of it all is I cannot even talk to him about _any_ of this…" She sucked in a breath. "Neji I know I shouldn't be bothering you but-"

"No, Hinata, it's fine. I'm glad you have enough confidence in me to ask for my help." She bit down on her lip and allowed him to continue. "Hinata, let me tell you, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life is admitting to myself that I deserve Ten Ten. You must feel terrible whenever your heart swells with joy or when the butterflies in your stomach dance whenever you're around him."

"Demo-"

"No, let me finish. I used to tell myself that I _hated_ Ten Ten. I could never admit my infatuation as easily as she did. I said a lot of things to her that would have normally had me on her black list… But she forgave me. When I broke up with her, I was convinced it was so that she would have the ability to find someone better suited for her but in the weeks that followed I knew that was not the case. I may not know anything at all of what has happened since I've left but I know _you_, Hinata. I know that whatever you're doing in that pretty little head of yours is not going to be helping _anyone._ Talk to him. That is the best advice I can truly give."

* * *

Hinata felt extremely self conscious walking along the halls of school on this particular day. Sasuke walked ahead of her in a relaxed manner as he always did on their way to take their lunch. She pressed her lips in to a thin line. She was still unsure of when would be the perfect moment to act on her cousin's advice.

"Hey Hinata, you're looking pretty cute, eh?" Naruto grinned at her from his place next to Sakura. "Are you two going to be playing doctor today? And when can I sign up?" He quirked an eyebrow and was about to continue when Sakura smacked the back of his head.

"Grow up Naruto! These are for a class, we have to wear scrubs to shadow at the hospital." She took a vicious bite out of her sandwich and chewed forcefully. Hinata tugged at her tunic timidly.

"Do you think I look funny… Sasuke?" He pulled out a chair for her and leaned over her shoulder after she sat.

"Not in the least." He breathed into her ear, the gentle contact causing her to immediately turn red. Sakura and Naruto began bickering once more and Hinata took the opportunity to talk.

"T-the other day, I was able to talk to Neji." She began. Sasuke nodded, taking apart a chocolate chip cookie his brother had snuck in with the rest of his lunch. "I-I was able to ask him… About certain things and he told me… That I should talk to you about them." Finally having caught his attention, he reached over for her hand. His heart beat felt, suddenly slow, each thud hammering heavily against his sternum.

"Let's go outside."

Fall's hand had already taken a firm grip on the small city of Konoha. The trees aflame with colors painted an appealing picture to the eye if Hinata or Sasuke had cared to pay attention. Sasuke lead Hinata over to the far end of the soccer field, open yet secluded due to the chill and heavy clouds overhead. He stopped before a familiar patch of flowers and he released Hinata to squat before them, fingering soft petals delicately while waiting for Hinata to begin.

This situation felt all too familiar to him and he prayed subconsciously that this was not going in the direction he dreaded it would. He was doing his best to keep true to his brother's advice, but not fucking up was easier said than done.

'_Did I do or say something that would make her not want to be with me… Well there was that make out thing but that wasn't too serious. Was it?'_ He had never felt so panicked before. He had no trouble schooling his features to normal indifference but he feared turning and looking at her, unsure if he could keep a front with her staring him down with those pale eyes of hers'.

"Sasuke, please look at me." He could not deny a request when given in such a soft voice. She searched his face for a moment before sighing and pushing her fingers together, focusing on the grass around Sasuke's feet. "I've come to the conclusion… That I cannot e-express myself, what I'm feeling, to you… As well as I'd like."

Sasuke almost chocked on the breath he'd been holding.

'_Express herself?'_

"I-I felt extremely guilty and sad." she continued. "I want you to know that I do hold a very s-s-special place… in my h-heart." He honestly could not help the snort that erupted from the back of his throat. Hinata snapped her mouth shut, face immediately flushing. His snort grew into full hearty laughs as he reached for her face and kissed her fully on the mouth, effectively taking her breath away.

"I don't understand," was the soft murmur that escaped her lips. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"You're being silly." He held her face firmly and waited for her to look at him. "You are being silly and you are thinking too, _too _much in to this." The look of incredulity on Hinata's face was priceless and he suddenly wished he had his camera with him. "Don't think." He kissed her again. "Just let things happen…"

His words made the world feel right again under her feet, more balanced than she could remember ever feeling. That genuine smile sealed the deal for her, a treat not often offered to others outside of Sasuke's circle, and even then a rarity among his friends.

"Where'd you guys go?" Naruto demanded as soon as they returned, only just having noticed their absence.

"We needed to talk." Sasuke helped Hinata with her chair before taking his place in front of Naruto. The blond furrowed his eyebrows.

"About what?"

"About how atoms are fucking split."

"You don't have to get so touchy teme." Sakura promptly ignored the boys' bickering and focused on Hinata, green eyes taking on a curious glint.

"Everything alright?" A finely plucked eyebrow rose slightly.

"Perfectly fine."

* * *

How the both of them ended up in her room later on that day was a mystery to her. She remembered Sasuke offering to give her and Hanabi a ride home since he had decided to take over where Neji had left off, much to Hanabi's relief. She also remembered Hanabi having immediately declined, saying their father had promised to pick her up himself so they could go buy some new cleats she was in desperate need of. Having the house to themselves was nothing new but there definitely was something new between the two of them.

Sasuke stood in the middle of her room while she closed the door softly behind them. Not something she would usually do, of course this was something entirely different. She went around him, easing herself onto the bed before him, sitting with her hands underneath her thighs. He was smirking at her, hands shoved in his pockets, standing in his ever indifferent pose, the only thing not indifferent being his smirk. Hinata had to take the time to admit that he was, in fact, the handsomest of her classmates.

Her face grew warm at the thought.

"Why are you blushing?"

"I-I'm blushing? I hadn't realized…" She pulled her shoes off and pulled herself further on to the bed. "Why are you just standing there?"

"It's fun watching you." She ducked her head, pushing her fingers together, looking up at him shyly through her bangs.

"How so?" Sasuke cocked his head to the side, then proceeded to make his own way to her bed, stopping just before her.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful I think you are?" He hovered over her, pulling the hair out of her face and pressing his lips to her temple gently. Hinata held his hand against her cheek, relishing in the warmth of his large palms. He leant his forehead on hers and the butterflies in her stomach began dancing in joyful circles as his other hand found it's way to the small of her back.

Slowly but surely, he found her lips. Their kisses turning from tender to heated in moments. Hinata shivered at the sudden contact of Sasuke's fingers to the side of her tummy, sending electric tingles down her spine, curling her toes in the process. His gentle advances effectively turned her into mush right in his arms. She soon became frustrated with his jacket, and began pulling away at it, wanting instead to feel his warmth directly. He obliged.

Hinata suddenly pulled away, lips beginning to swell, chest heaving as she struggled to catch breath. "Did you hear something?" Sasuke listened closely hearing distant footfalls, muted through the walls of Hinata's room. There was a knock on the door and both sat up at full attention.

"Hinata? Are you awake." Hiashi turned the door knob slowly, giving Sasuke only seconds to react.

"Shit." He snatched his jacked off the floor and ducked under Hinata's bed. She scrambled to get under her covers, heart pounding by the time her father crossed the threshold.

"I-I'm awake." Her voice trembled slightly and she hoped he would think it part of her usual character as opposed to her having a boy hidden beneath her at that very moment.

Hiashi did not often venture into his daughter's room, he was surprised to see her laying in bed as she was at the moment. He placed a hand on Hinata's forehead and frowned. "Are you feeling alright? You look and feel a little feverish."

"A-ano, perhaps I'm just a-a bit fatigued…" Her father thought about that for a moment and then shrugged.

"Fine, but if this persists you should tell me immediately so we can get you to a doctor."

"H-hai." Hinata drew her sheets closer to her. "Ano-, Otou-san, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Hiashi cleared his throat and looked towards the wall.

"Hanabi told me you have a new favorite."

"O-oh?" He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a moment.

"Well are you going to tell me about it? You seemed so pleased with that other one…" Of course he wouldn't have noticed how _not_ please she was with 'that other one'.

"T-things just.. didn't work out between us." Hiashi nodded.

"And this new one, who is he? What's his name?"

"U-Uchiha Sasuke…" She gulped. Her father would probably say something insulting about the Uchihas. She hoped Sasuke would not hate her after whatever it was her father said next.

"Ah, yes. Chief of police's youngest. Well that's fine, the older one is a little odd but that's just fine. Anyway, I'm not hear to talk about them, really." He turned his full attention to his daughter. "Have you been filling out those college applications? If you do not get accepted into a school I think suitable, I will not hesitate to pick out a business school for you. I just want to make sure you have your priorities in check, Hinata. There will always be boys around but I'm only giving you this one shot to pursue your dream." Hinata's heart clenched painfully, she'd never forget that.

"Hai, Otou-san. I'll keep that in mind." He gave a curt nod and left Hinata to her rest. As soon as the door was shut, Sasuke crawled out from his hiding spot, still looking in the direction of where Hiashi had disappeared. "Gomen."

"For what?" Hinata curled her fingers in to the covers.

"He said Itachi was strange." Sasuke snorted, sitting by her and untangling one of her hands so that he could give it a squeeze.

"Itachi _is_ strange, I wouldn't think right of your father if he thought Itachi was normal." He lifted her chin so that she could look at him and she was thankful for that steadying gaze of his. "I have to go." He pushed himself away from the bed and opened her window. Hinata drew her lips into a thin line.

"Ano, I-I don't think you should sneak out through the window. My father's study is on the other side of the house, you should just use the front door!" She scrambled to her feet, but Sasuke already had one leg outside.

"Should be fine, I used to sneak out with Naruto all the time." Her eyes widened.

"To do what exactly?" He shrugged, lowering himself further.

"To cause chaos, why else?" She stuck her head out the window and watched, brows furrowed together in concern.

"Ano, be careful…"

"I'll be fi-" Sasuke lost his footing, slipping the rest of the way down her wall. Hinata's hands immediately went to her mouth to keep from screaming. With a rather loud 'umph', Sasuke landed in the shrubs that surrounded the entire of the Hyuuga house. He sucked on his teeth sharply, pain surging through his entire back side. _'Very, very smooth… Like clockwork.'_

"Are you alright?" She had run after him, pushing away at the twigs that had gotten tangled in his hair. "Can you walk?"

"Ugh, fine. I think next time I may try being less impressive." He ran through his hair. "Or unimpressive." She wrinkled her nose.

"You don't have to try and impress… I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right…"

* * *

_Dearest Readers,_

_This has been sitting in my files for a little longer than it should have. I didn't quite know what to do with it really. I worked and thought and re-wrote and etc. This is what turned up. So yeah. Leave me… uhm something? _

_"First your gonna walk over to me, then you're gonna get on your knees, and then I'll give you two guesses as to what you're gonna do... hehehe... well you're half right. Believe me my friend, one way or another, you're going to taste my sword... Ahuh. That's right, mm, yum, yum, yum. Come and get your milkshake. My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than your's. Damn right, it's better than your's. I can teach you, but I'd have to cut your throat with my giant ass sword." - More Abridged xD_

_Much Love,_

_NewRageInc. _


	9. Worry

_I was talking to my friend and he told me 'just to do something else.' What on earth could he have been talking about? I have mocha colored skin. It's nice now. I skimmed through this, copy paste if you find something iffy._

_I do not own Naruto_

**Worry**

"We hardly ever get to talk anymore, it's sort of depressing, but it's nice to get to catch up with you." Mikoto was happy, ecstatic, to be sitting across from her dear friend after so long a lapse between their last meeting.

"I know what you mean, like, Minato is cool and all but sometimes I just need some old fashioned girl talk. Now I know what like, all those married women meant when they say you like lose yourself after you get married." Kushina wrapped her hands around her coffee cup and smiled down at the dark brew. After a moment she wrinkled her nose and turned her head to look towards the counter of the small café they had stopped at. "Of course, it's pretty cool to be like, tormenting our sons at their new job." She grinned up happily at the barista, who was effectively hiding behind the cash register.

Mikoto replied with her own smirk, turning her attention towards the blender to watch another barista working on a few orders. Though his head was bent over in concentration, there was no mistaking the dark shock of hair sticking up behind him. "It certainly was a good idea."

Naruto was seriously bothered by his mother's presence, it was the only time he wished she was quiet and peaceful like Sasuke's mom. Kushina kept turning over to him and grinning a grin not unlike his own, waving and telling whoever walked into the café that that was her son across the counter. She would follow that up with, "if you give him any trouble I'll clock you one." Save for the sly looks she would throw in Sasuke directions, Mikoto would be considered a saint sitting next his mother. Which was exactly the case.

"You're so lucky your mom is so cool." Naruto grumbled under his breath while handing a carton of cream to Sasuke. His friend grumbled.

"If you say so. I'm just happy Itachi's not here or else she'd be making just as big a scene as _your_ mother." He pulled a few knobs grudgingly and set the machine to work. Sasuke was glad to have work, happy to have a little more to do so he wouldn't feel so pent up but he was definitely not pleased to learn that Naruto would be working along side him, he honestly had enough of him at school.

They continued on, only uttering a few broken phrases to allow them to work properly together while making those fancy gourmet coffees that are just oh so popular with people these days.

"So, I don't mean to offend, but is Naruto interested in continuing his education?" Mikoto tipped her cup around nervously, peeking up at her friend through her bangs. Kushina waved a hand in the air dismissively, chuckling heartily.

"Oh, I get that a lot! No, he's determined to go on, you know? Like, just like his dad. He wants to do politics and like stuff."

"Politics?" Mikoto turned and watched as Naruto flashed his grin at the customer he was attending. "He certainly does have the look down." Kushina nodded enthusiastically and then blushed.

"Too bad he has my mouth." Mikoto reached across the table and took Kushina's hand in hers.

"He's bold, people will just have to get used to that." The red head smiled appreciatively and wrinkled her nose.

"What about Sasuke?" The smile slowly fell from Mikoto's features as she furrowed her brow critically.

"Well now that you've come to mention it… We haven't really talked about that much. We just assumed… but he never… hm…"

* * *

The revelation that she and her son had never discussed his future together bothered Mikoto quite a bit, so, when she returned home an hour later, she became listless with the question running through her mind. Itachi had been so straight forward with both her and her husband when he was headed of to higher studies. He made it clear he had no intention of following his father's footsteps and wanted to pursue his passions in pastries and such. She had no objection but Fugaku had been heartbroken.

He was looking forward to having Itachi working along side of him.

Neither of them had ever discussed the possibility of Sasuke perhaps wanting to take Itachi's place along side of his father. She ran with the thought despite the fact of her youngest son never particularly showing an interest in going into law enforcement. She waited impatiently until her ears perked at the sound of a door shutting in the distance. Breathing in deeply, she stilled her fidgety movements and did her best to keep composure until her son walked into the kitchen, looking slightly haggard and agitated.

"Welcome home! How was your first day?" She smiled brightly and indicated the chair next to her so they could talk. Sasuke shrugged and sat, tossing his keys and slouching as much as he could in his seat. Mikoto watched him expectantly.

"I think coffee is stupid," was all he could say after a few moments of silence. His mother chuckled softly, smiling serenely across the table from him. "You looked like you were having fun though."

"Oh yes. Uzamaki-san is still quite the spitfire I remember her to be." Mikoto licked her lips nervously while watching her son. She spoke more tentatively. "She says Naruto-kun is expressing a wish to go into politics like his father. Exciting," she tossed her hair behind her shoulder.

"Yeah, he's always talking about that." She furrowed her brow at him.

"Well, that got me to thinking that I really have no idea what my son is interested in…?" Sasuke leaned back further, seeing where his mother was going and rubbing his eyes, suppressing a yawn.

"You want to know what I'm interested in doing?" His tone was amused as his mother huffed and slammed her palms down on the table.

"Well of course, Sasuke! You're my baby and I have to ask myself why we haven't had this conversation before!" He snickered and held up his hands.

"Fine, I'm sorry mother. I apologize for never having this conversation with you before. That is a good question though." He tipped his chair back and searched the ceiling as though that were to give him an answer. He was smart enough, he knew that much with the compliments teachers gave and how his grades reflected his work. He did photography as a hobby for years and he was good at a lot of things. So what was it that he really wanted to do? In fact, he had to wonder why he hadn't been pondering this all along. They were on the verge of taking a rather large step in their lives after all.

His mother stood from her place at the table and paced their kitchen, unsure of how to go about what she wanted to say next. She took a deep breath. "Maybe you should think about going to the police academy so you could work with your father…" She bit her lip and turned to search her son's face for a reaction.

Sasuke's mouth snapped shut and his features molded into those of a calm and unreadable person. She could, however, see it in his eyes. He was thinking, that same contemplative look often ghosting over her husband's features whenever she had said something that required a deeper train of thought. She continued on, sure he was not going to pay attention to whatever words left her mouth until he was through with his thinking.

"I know you are smart Sasuke, I know you could probably do better, but since Itachi decided he didn't want to 'join the force' your father was devastated. He had been looking forward to sharing that with his oldest son and since his oldest refused… You know I thought- It's just-"

"That sounds alright." Mikoto swallowed hard, tears welling up instantly in her eyes.

"Really? I mean, I want you to make your own decision Sasuke. I was only throwing it out there… You would really? For him?" Sasuke lips remained firmly pressed into a line, but his gaze softened considerably when he saw his mother's tears. He nodded slowly.

"I would, for _you_."

* * *

Rain fell softly over the sleepy streets of Konoha, every now and then a stray car would wisp by, disturbing puddles in their wake to get home to warmth and comfort. Sasuke watched mutely while Hinata fisted her hands to his shirt, pulling his own arms around her to hold her closer to him. The storm had settled a great deal and he wondered when she would ask him to step out of her covers and head home. Her eyes were shut and she seemed calm, almost as though she were about to fall asleep.

She had startled him when she finally spoke.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke licked his lips and turned his attention to the ceiling, listening at the distant sounds of Hanabi yelling at the television.

"Nothing." Her grip loosened on his shirt and she placed her right hand gingerly over his heard, fingers splaying delicately over his chest. He brought up his own hand and held hers in place, marveling at just how small her fingers were compared to his. She worried her lip.

"Demo… You seem upset." Her voice was whispered and he sighed, squeezing her hand slightly, giving in to her timid pressing.

"My mother convinced me to 'follow in my father's foot steps' as she put it." Hinata furrowed her brow prettily and he continued. "So I suppose, when all is said and done, I will do my duty for the community and join the police force. Sounds like a plan to me." He shrugged.

"You are not happy with this plan?"

"What makes you say that?" Hinata pressed her lips in to a thin line and tapped his chest lightly with her fingers.

"You're pulse… It quickens as though you're… uncomfortable with this fact." Sasuke clenched his jaw.

"It's not that it bothers me, I know I wasn't really planning something for myself anyway and this is better than nothing. That fact that I _do_ feel bothered is bothering me more than anything." She snuggled closer to him, hiding her face in his shoulder, a blush crawling on to her face.

"I would have never pictured you in law enforcement," she murmured sheepishly. Neither had he and he chuckled at the statement. That was the last place he had thought of himself whenever he did try mapping out his future in his brain. "Perhaps in law… but never law enforcement." He lowered himself further on to the bed, turning to face her and leant his forehead on hers.

"So you think that's funny." She stiffened.

"A little."

"Yeah well me too." He shifted around until he produced his cell phone from the depths of his pant pocket, buzzing wildly in his hand. Sasuke snorted and answered with a less than happy tone. "What?" Hinata's eyes widened while loud yells and shrieking could be heard from the receiver of the phone, forcing Sasuke to hold the phone at arm's length. "What the fuck, calm down. What happened?"

"_We won teme! We're going to play-offs!" _Sasuke scowled at the phone.

"Play-offs for what _dobe_?"

"Football!" Hinata's brow furrowed.

"We have a football team?" She mouthed and he shrugged, sitting up and pushing his hair out of his face.

"So what do you want me to do about this exactly?" She heard Naruto's laughter and Sakura's voice ringing out through the cheers going on in the background. Sasuke spoke a few more low words and finally snapped the phone shut, shaking his head in distaste.

"So what's going on?" Hinata kicked the sheets away from her, tucking her legs under her and running fingers through the ink colored hair that fell over her shoulder. The draft that had caused them to retreat under her covers had become more comfortable since Sasuke's body heat had proved it's purpose of warming her up. He couldn't help his eyes roaming over her form, she had never looked more enticing to him then in the shirt she had never returned and some of her cousin's old pajama pants.

Sasuke jerked his head to keep his mind from going into dangerous territory. He wrinkled his nose and did his best to keep the disgust to saturate his tone. "This week is going to be something else. Naruto wants to get together tomorrow to… Ugh, create posters to show how spirited we are." Hinata did her best to hide her amusement at his lack of interest, but that did not stop her from being more confused than before.

"I'm baffled… By the fact that I had no idea…" She shrugged helplessly but leaned over and put her lips gently against Sasuke's cheek. "It doesn't sound like it wont be fun." The air from when she spoke fell close to his ear, causing a shiver to ripple down his spine and he pushed himself away from her, stooping to pick up his jacket and grab his shoes.

"Then, if you're looking forward to it, I think it'll be fine." She wanted to laugh at the obvious resentment in his voice but only kept that small smile in it's place. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

"So I was thinking," Ino began, tossing her blond hair behind her and flashing a grin at those sitting at the table around them. "I mean, you know, since we are supposed to be the cool people at this school since we're the oldest and all. We should make giant banners for each of the players." She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest, a smug look on her face as she watched Sakura narrow her eyes. Sakura cleared her throat.

"That's all nice and well Ino," Sakura said sweetly, leaning on to the table and smiling with all the sugar she could muster. "That _would_ be a nice idea, but I honestly think two signs would be enough with the school name and all the players names around it." She picked at a few strands of pink hair that had fallen close to her face, being as casual as possible.

The group had assembled at lunch, deciding that would be an appropriate time to decide how exactly they were going to go about in supporting their school. Kiba snapped gum impatiently next to Shino, and Shikamaru who was yawning into a book, having been dragged by Ino to support her cause. Naruto eyed Sakura carefully where he sat next to her, waiting for her to start raising her voice at any moment and shooting desperate glances in Choji's direction to keep Ino calm. Ino returned Sakura's sweet look with one of her own, though the cattiness of her smile becoming more apparent with each word she spoke.

"It would look nicer from across the field if we had more than just two posters." Sakura's knuckles whitened while she clenched them ever further.

"Yes, it would, if only we had enough people to manage such a thing. We just don't have the numbers to pull that off."

"I think we would be able to pull it off somehow, never say never Sakura!"

"You're being ridiculous, you just don't want to think rationally about this because it was _my_ idea!"

"Please! Rational? We have to be over the top! I'm not so malicious that I would just be saying these things to spite you! The world doesn't revolve around you!" Electric blue eyes turned their sites on Choji, who shrunk away instantly. "Wouldn't you guys appreciate seeing all of your names on individual signs?" The glare she had turned on him told him if he even dared disagree, there would be unspeakable consequences.

"I-I… Well… It would be cool." Sakura slammed her fists on to the table. Choji gulped and Shikamaru winced but did not look up from his book. "I mean… But there are so many of us."

"Stop trying to intimidate him!" Ino growled, turning her attention to her so called best friend.

"A-ano…" The two girls stopped and looked up to see Hinata had walked up to them, a reluctant Sasuke dawdling behind her. Ino's catty smile returned.

"Hinata can choose, what do you think we should do Hinata-chan?" Sakura sat back, studying Hinata carefully.

"I don't understand… What's going on?"

"They're fighting over what we should do for the game on Saturday," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke snorted.

"Don't put pressure on her like that, do Sakura's idea. It's probably better than blondy's over there." Ino gaped at him, not having been verbally abused by Sasuke in some time.

"Well what's up his butt?" Shikamaru shrugged, snapping the book closed.

"He has a point, your idea is too ambitious, we have less than a week to make these signs of yours."

"Fine," Ino huffed, "as long as we get to sparkle-a-fy everything, I guess I'll be alright." That dispute settled, it was agreed that they would meet at Naruto's house after school until their project was complete, or at least, until they ran out of time.

Sasuke sulked to himself and Hinata did her best to keep his spirits up. He may rather not participate in any of this brouhaha, but Hinata knew in the end he would appreciate what memories they would create. Hopefully he would take her word for the fun they were about to have.

* * *

_Dearest Readers,_

_This is the prelude to a lot of… Well let's face it, crack. I can't help it, at the beginning of this chapter I decided I was going to move things along and finish up but eh that wasn't fun. So six pages later I figured I hated it, too fast, too abrupt, not cool. Delete. I started over and this is where it went. Probably turn out to be three more chapters of utter randomness and then the meat of the story and then it's over. The end. I don't know how long that will be in coming but ehe, we'll see._

_Much love,_

_NewRageInc._

_p.s. Please be gentle and patient with me. I've been busy. xD Also, I don't know anything about football, thus this team only having been created all of an hour ago. Do you think I'm funny?_


	10. Shout

"_Yes, I believe in love, yes, I'm a dreamer. But I'm not alone, there are more of us than you suspect, and we've got a bomb. Truth and beauty bombs." - A Softer World_

_I do not own Naruto._

**Shout**

In the end, Sasuke helped along side Hinata, without much credit to his grace. He grumbled and scowled and was just as foul as ever through out the week, not speaking more than one word to any of their friends and hardly more to her for forcing him to be there with her. Despite his less than agreeable state, the group was able to pull through several paint accidents as well as one major rip in the middle of their banner.

"It's a wonder what one can do with lots of cardboard and tape!" Naruto grinned madly, clapping Sasuke on the shoulder after the others had left. "I would have never thought of doing this, but I am sure glad we did! Did you take a lot of pictures?"

"Hn," Sasuke handed over his camera so that Naruto could see for himself. The blond immediately began snickering at the photographs of events that had only happened a few days ago. Their school suddenly seemed obsessed with this odd game and they were plagued with contests of school spirit and many exclamations of how they were going to beat the other team. In all honesty, Sasuke thought it a large waste of time, why bother and make such a ruckus over a barbaric game that would be forgotten soon after all was said and done?

"Have you ever scrap booked Sasuke?" Sakura walked up beside them, looking over Naruto's shoulder and wrinkling her nose delightfully as he flipped through the pictures of a paint fight they had had on the first days of working together. Sasuke shrugged, watching out of the corner of his eye as Hinata pulled her sweater closer to her body.

"Ne, dobe, tell me again why your house is kept so cold." Naruto scoffed, shoving the camera towards Sakura who had Ino by her side in mere moments to continue looking through the pictures.

"The heat doesn't work in this ancient house. My mom said something about it never having worked, even when her grandparent's lived here." He turned an apologetic eye towards Kiba, who had made a sort of pallet in a far corner of Naruto's basement, coughing into a handkerchief. Their friend's wheezing breath had bothered them throughout the week, but when told him he should go home, Kiba would shake them off, insisting he would not be left out of this fun no matter what. Sasuke and Naruto watched as Hinata wandered over, offering a cough drop to a thankful Kiba.

"I think we're done for the week," Shino spoke, looking in the same direction as the two boys.

When Sasuke had spotted Hinata that morning, scribbling a few notes as Kakashi lectured on one dead poet or another, he couldn't help but feel that she looked more pale than usual. While sitting at lunch, she cleared her throat more and more and at the end of the day, she had looked fatigued. Painting the finishing touches of their banner, she lay on her stomach, head cradled in one arm as her hand moved half-heartedly over the paper.

"Are you ready to go?" Hinata smiled slightly at the sound of his voice, nodding and bidding the others farewell before following Sasuke out.

* * *

"Will you sleep tonight?" Hinata paused, licking her lips and turning away from the door to see Sasuke watching her intensely. His dark gaze boring into her and giving her a familiar sense of haziness.

"Iie, K-Kurenai-sensei's test. I have been neglecting my reading…" She pushed her fingers together shyly, cutting her eyes away from his.

"You don't look well…"

"I'm fine." As though her body was bent on contradicting her, her voice cracked. He narrowed his eyes at her.

The truth was that she really did not feel well at all. The whole day she felt as though she were walking through a haze, the tickle that had started at the back of her throat soon turning into a full fledged soreness. She had been popping cough drops to keep the pain at bay, sneaking them while Sasuke had his back turned and making sure to keep a fair distance so he wouldn't smell them on her breath.

"Right, see you." He turned, grumbling at the sidewalk as he headed back to his car.

Hinata waved halfheartedly as he drove off and entered the house with a sigh, shoulders drooping as the sound of her sister watching television. "I'm home!" Her voiced cracked again when she called out. She blinked when she spotted her sister gaping at the television, seeming as though she were extremely angry. "Ano… Hanabi?"

"Hinata, it's terrible!" Hanabi flung the remote across the room, watching as it landed with a weak thud on the cream colored carpet. "Scott was out drunk, and I guess he got really upset and now he and Kourtney aren't talking anymore!" Hinata's gazed widened while her little sister crossed her arms, glaring at the television. "I just can't believe him. After the baby was born, I was sure he would change, onee-chan!"

"Ano, Hanabi… your homework?" A thin arm gestured over towards the other side of the couch where, sure enough, was a pile of Hanabi's finished homework. For someone who had a work load almost as heavy as Hinata's, Hanabi always seemed to finish with an assured quality assignment under her belt. "Ah, hai. Well I hope they resolve they're issues s-soon."

With that, she turned and headed up the stairs with a sluggish pace, not looking forward to struggling through her assigned reading.

* * *

Sasuke was frowning deeply at the petite girl before him, though he had a rough time being annoyed with this person seeing as she bore a startling resemblance to her older sister. Hanabi stood before him, arms crossed over her form, lips pressed into a thin line as she eyes the Uchiha before her warily.

"Where is she?" She flinched but moved aside to allow him entrance to the house. He had been awoken not a half hour earlier, surprised to hear the voice of Hyuuga Hanabi asking if he would please come over.

"_My sister… She wont get up and she feels very warm." _

That slight edge to her voice, as though she were on the brink of sobbing made him push aside any fatigue to dress and rush out the door.

He followed, eyes narrowing as Hinata's door came into view. Hanabi put her ear to the door, clutching the door knob for a moment before turning it slowly.

Her room was dark save for a crack in her curtains that was allowing the first light of day creep through, he had never seen the place in such a state of disarray. Sasuke stepped in, a soft crunch caused him to look down and see that he had stepped in some papers which were scattered around the room. To the right of the bed was a box fan, whirring softly and in contradiction to the large amount of blankets piled on a mound he assumed was Hinata. Swallowing hard, he continued on, Hanabi sticking close behinde, brows furrowed in worry.

"Hinata?" He spoke softly, placing a hand on the side of her enflamed face, noting the waste basket filled to the brim with used tissues. She murmured something incoherently and burrowed deeper into her cocoon of blankets.

"Will she be alright?" Hanabi bit her lip, never looking up from her sister's form.

"I think she just has a bad cold." Standing up, he caught site of the physics book laying carelessly at her side. "She didn't rest and she's been working on that cough since yesterday." He shook his head and turned to Hanabi. "Where's your father?"

"Otou-san went out on business yesterday morning, he wont be back until Sunday." Sasuke snorted. Ever restful of the fact that the infamous Hyuuga Hiashi did not seemed bothered by his lack of presence in his daughter's lives.

"I'll take you to school then." Hanabi's brow furrowed.

"You're not leaving her here alone are you?" He snorted again.

"Of course not, I'll come back and make sure she's taken care of now, come on."

* * *

Hinata stirred when jostled slightly in her sleep, her eyes fluttered open to the sight of her boyfriend, carrying her down the stairs of her home. She frowned. Why was Sasuke carrying her down the stairs? Why hadn't anyone bothered waking her up? She closed her eyes again tightly, a wave of nausea hitting her with force. Her head was aching and she wished Sasuke would just put her down.

"A-Ano…" A hoarseness wrapping around her usually soft, sweet voice.

"Why didn't you just go to sleep?" Hinata struggled with his soft reprimand. Didn't go to sleep? She had a test to study for…

At this she panicked, causing Sasuke to tighten his grip on her so not to let her fall. She had over slept again! What was he thinking? They had to get to school.

"Ah- Sasuke!"

"Quiet," he growled, finally placing her on the living room couch and wrapping a blanket around her.

"Demo, Kurenai-sensei-" He placed a hand over her forehead and shook his head, still frowning.

"You are too sick to go to school, your sister thought you were dead or something. You shouldn't make people worry so much." She snapped her mouth shut, lowering her face submissively.

"Gomen…" Sasuke heaved a sigh, pushed the bangs out of her face, offering a rare smile.

"I hope you don't mind, but I have to go to too. I'll tell Kurenai about what happened and you can take the test some other time. My brother is on his way, so he should be able to take care of you while I'm gone." She pressed her lips into a thin line but nodded none the less.

He left her there with specific instructions not to get up from her spot unless absolutely necessary. She pouted when he walked out of the room but leaned back as soon as she heard the door close softly behind him. Hinata furrowed her eyebrows, surprised that she could hear herself struggling to breathe.

Itachi did not take long, and soon Hinata found herself with a thermometer in her mouth and Mikoto fussing about the thermostat.

"Is your father particular about his thermostat?" Hinata shook her head. "Good, a man with that much money should be able to keep his house warm." Satisfied, she strode over and grabbed her purse off of the floor. At first, she had been hurt that her son did not call on her to take care of his dearest, but was soon reminded of all the errands she had complained to him about the night before. Mikoto took the thermometer out of Hinata's mouth and held it up. "Ne, you'll be fine. You're fever is breaking and I'm sure after a good rest you'll be right as rain by the big game."

Hinata blinked then, having forgotten what had been the talk of the town for the past few days the instant her grade was on the line. Mikoto wrinkled her nose and left her to the care of her more or less capable son.

"Hinata-onee-chan! I hope you like chicken broth, are you still feeling nauseas.?" Itachi walked over, a bowel of steaming soup held carefully in his hands. Hinata dug her fingers in to the blankets, blushing at his term of endearment. She nodded but took the bowel anyway, knowing it would do her no good to ignore the food and she did not want to cause Itachi's efforts to go to waste.

Soon, Hinata was curled up once more, in a much smaller cocoon of blankets, napping serenely on the couch. Itachi sat on top of the Hyuuga's washer, flipping through a magazine while Deidara sat on the floor, wrinkling his nose every now and then as he made mistakes while painting his toes. He decided it would be best to have Hinata's sheets cleaned so she could sleep without fear of rolling around in germs from her illness. After some time, Itachi looked up.

"Why are you here again?" Deidara looked up at Itachi, blinking innocently.

"I miss you at the bakery," he stated sweetly, batting his eyes in a flirtatious manner. Itachi scowled.

"Whatever. As long as you're here I guess I can put you to work, I have an order for one hundred cup cakes for tonight, I don't think Hinata would mind if I borrowed their kitchen. Go out and get me supplies." To this Deidara scowled.

"I don't even work with you anymore," he grumbled but got up anyway. They had not known each other longest at the extreme bakery they had worked at but were often put to work as Deidara's fondant sculpting skills were superior but his painting was lacking and Itachi was the opposite. Deidara had to admit, everything seemed a little more dull at what was supposed to be called "Extreme Akatsuki Bakery." Konan's folk music just did not substitute for Itachi's strange taste in cover songs.

One short trip to the grocery store and a pit stop at Itachi's apartment later, Itachi sat calculating how long could they afford to be there and the availability of space in the delivery van. Deidara bopped his head to Itachi's music player, having been told to keep quiet while baking to allow Hinata proper rest. They did not notice Hinata staggering in to the kitchen, desperately trying to stifle a cough behind a wad of tissue. Itachi stood with a start.

"Ne, nee-chan, why didn't you call out to one of us?" He went to her side and supported her slightly shaking frame as she sat where Itachi had been. "Sasuke will kill me and call me negligent if he comes here to see you _not_ resting. You know his temper." He wagged his finger at her in mock annoyance, causing a strangled half cough, half giggle to escape her lips.

"A-ano… I just wanted a g-glass of water."

"Deidara!" To this, the blond jumped, ripping the ear phones away from him and staring wide eyed at the pale girl who hadn't been there a few moments ago. Hinata blinked at him. He was wearing an eye patch.

"Don't startle me you buffoon, and please don't tell me I woke this poor creature up!" He bowed his head slightly. "Please forgive me, Hyuuga-sama, I am unworthy." Hinata was confused, she had never seen this person before, or at least she couldn't _recall_ seeing him before, and it felt strange to have something so heavily laced with sarcasm thrown at her.

"Quit being a dick and get her a glass of water, this is her house." When Itachi had turned back to face her, Deidara stuck out his tongue before moving around and doing as he was told.

While handing her the water, her apologized. "He's been on my ass all day about tip toeing around you and quite honestly, had me sick at the very idea of you. Please forgive my rudeness Hinata-chan, it's nothing against you." He grinned broadly.

"Ah, w-well, that's alright. N-now please don't mind my asking, I-I'm extremely grateful to you for looking after me today…. demo, why is my kitchen destroyed?" Itachi looked around, seeing that they had, in fact, basically destroyed her kitchen. There was flower on the counters, on the floor, on the walls, all _over_ Deidara. Pots and pans were strewn about in odd places, and a stack of sticks of butter were sitting primly next to Hinata on the table. Itachi ran his fingers through his hair, an odd habit he had begun picking up from his brother around the child.

"Oops, don't worry, we'll clean it up. Sorry for taking over but I had work to do." He shrugged helplessly with Deidara nodding enthusiastically just behind him. "How are you feeling now, Hinata-chan?"

"B-better. I suppose it really was the sleep…" She said, thanking the lord Sasuke was not the type to keep saying 'I told you so.'

* * *

"You'll have to go in early on Monday morning but she didn't seem to bothered by that. You'll do fine, I'm sure."

"Hai."

"I hope my brother and his.. er, friend weren't too much trouble."

"Iie, they k-kept me company."

"How are you?" Hinata looked up from her text book, offering Sasuke the look of reassurance he seemed to have wanted so desperately.

"F-fine. My headache is gone and m-my throat feels less scratchy." She smiled gently at him as his shoulders drooped rather dramatically.

"I was worried…"

"I know." Her face reddened then. "Gomen, Sasuke…"

"Don't worry about it."

She would have continued her apology, had her cell phone not rung out, calling for her attention. She sighed and reached for the offending piece of technology, frowning when she saw it was her father. Sasuke watched gravely as she answered, her complexion still not as colored as he would have liked. Her frowned deepened after her curt conversation.

"Ano… Otou-san.. My father he- There's going to be an important business lunch on Sunday morning," she explained, leaning back into her pillow. "I'm expected to go a-and… and you've been invited as well."

"N-nani?" _'Why? What the hell…'_

* * *

_Dearest Reader,_

_I am in the middle of a block. The direction I had intended to go with this chapter just wasn't working for my mojo so I wrote this instead. This is also the second attempt editing... Seeing as fanfiction decided to log me out (annoyed). It's okay though. Anyway, it's half past two. Leave me something for my efforts. Oh Deidara you're so comical! Btw, I do appreciate reviews! A lot! I get the thing that people put on their alerts or their favorites but I can't help but wondering... What did they really think? Was there something that just irked them? Was it just alright? D: What does it mean! (cries)_

_Much love,  
NewRageInc._


	11. Stop

_I apologize in advance for this very sudden... thing. If you make it to the end, please feel free to chew me out.  
_

_I do not own Naruto_

**Stop**

Hinata pulled her sweater closer around her, eyes sliding from one side of the fence to the other as she watched Naruto, Shino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke struggle with the giant poster they had constructed during the week. Ino and Sakura stood close next to her, also bundled up in their warmest clothes, cocking their heads from left to right and every now and then shouting directions towards the boys.

They had arrived as the sun had just been going down, later than they had planned for Sakura and Naruto had gotten in to an argument as to which way would be the better route to take to get to the city in the first place. In the end Shikamaru, who was driving, told them both to shut it while he concentrated on not killing them in the traffic and getting them safely to where they were headed.

"I think you need to move your corner slightly upwards Naruto!" Sakura yelled. Naruto struggled on his less then steady footing, trying to raise his corner of their monstrosity of school spirit.

Hinata had been quiet that whole morning, still trying to figure out what her father had meant by inviting Sasuke as well as herself to such an important meeting. She and Hanabi had often accompanied him on some meetings. Smiling, polite, the perfect daughters any one would have wanted. She knew this was often a tactic he used to try and soften whoever it was her father was trying to sign a deal with.

'_But why Sasuke?'_

"That's perfect, don't move!" Ino jumped and clapped her hands together. The lights to the stadium had come on and people were beginning to trickle in, adding their own banners and posters, a few had even had Styrofoam cut outs of their obscure school mascot.

"Finally, you know, we're just going to have to rip it up and throw it away after this?" Naruto complained loudly earning him a hit to the back of the head from Sakura.

"Well before then, we would like for this thing that we worked very hard on to look perfect so everyone at that other school can see that we care about our team more than they do." She huffed, running her hand through pink strands, suddenly very aware of just how short it was and how she suddenly missed the length so she could toss it over her shoulder.

Sasuke grunted, finding his way back towards Hinata. He tugged at a few strands of her hair, calling her attention. "We should sit…"

"Hai."

* * *

"We're awesome!"

"We? Who's we? I didn't see when they put you in to play. _They're_ awesome, you mean!"

"Oh shut up Shikamaru, I'm riding on someone's coat tails right now!" Ino's grin spread from one ear to the next and she wiggled around in her seat as Naruto turned up the music. The group was high on the rush of having just finished cheering their team on to victory, music blasting loud and laughter filling the air as they flew down the highway on their way back home.

Hinata was snuggled as close to Sasuke as possible, her body only just becoming warm with the help of the car's heater. She had enjoyed herself, though she had to admit to not being able to follow for a great majority of the time. There was something about the crisp air nipping at her nose and the warmth of Sasuke's hand holding hers that made the experience all the more enjoyable. Despite the loud atmosphere, she couldn't help a drowsy haze to overcome her, and she soon fell peacefully asleep.

Sasuke's mind, on the other hand, was preoccupied with thoughts of the coming morning. He couldn't understand how Hinata could keep so calm. Her father was stern and intimidating, almost more so than his own father. Then again, Hinata was terrified of his father where Sasuke is rather calm when dealing with him. He supposed after living with someone your whole life, you would know how to deal with and react to them.

He looked down at his petite girlfriend and watched her chest rise and fall with each intake of breath.

"Sasuke! What should we listen to next?" Ino yelled towards the back, Sasuke was about to growl his indifference when Shino decided to step in, taking the music player from Ino's hands and switching it to Ke$ha. Ino blinked, this was not the first time he had done this today. "Dude, seriously? I like her but calm down."

"Her music speaks to me." He stated simply, sitting back to enjoy the track.

* * *

"You shouldn't be nervous." Hinata said, reaching up to straighten Sasuke's collar, smoothing out the wrinkles along his shoulders.

"I'm not." He lied. Sasuke had never been the nervous type, especially with parents. What was there to be afraid of? It was not like Hyuuga Hiashi could do anything to harm him… He wiped the palms of his hands on his trousers and followed Hinata's skirt out in to the foyer.

Hanabi stood leaning against a wall, cell phone at hand as she texted away, eyes half lidded in teen indifference. Hiashi was straightening his tie in the mirror and when he was satisfied, nodded grimly towards the girls. Hanabi snapped her phone closed, shoving it away in a small hand bag and then grabbing a large pair of sunglasses to be perched on her nose in the early morning sun. Hinata smiled encouragingly at Sasuke.

She had yet to discern why her father had invited him to this meeting in the first place but she assumed, as was the usually reasoning for bringing her and her sister along, it all had to do with the look he was going for. Seeing as he did not take her aside earlier to warn her about what was at stake, his usual habit, she was unconcerned.

The car ride was silent as they cruised on the quaint morning, sun shining and birds chirping, almost spring-like except for the fall colors that had exploded around them in the form of leaves. Hinata could see straight through Sasuke's stoic façade. He was not at ease with the situation in the least, she wrapped her fingers around his hand and gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back, glad to know she was there and aware of his discomfort.

Sasuke had never done brunch before but he had to say it was something different. He doubted ever doing such a thing again, so he sat back and watched as the mid-morning unfolded before him. The Hyuuga corporation's associates were a pair of equally grim faced men who spoke in subdued tones, eyes narrowed and mouths pinched mirroring the serious expression of Hinata's own father.

The girls had experience with situations like these and knew what the basic ground rules were. Speak when spoken to, and only then, otherwise sit quietly and look as pleasant as possible. The idea was to make the atmosphere feel relaxed, despite the probability of there being a very serious and dark undertone to the business that was being discussed. Sasuke did his best to follow what the older men's conversation was about, but as the conversation deepened, he found himself at a loss as to what exactly was being exchanged by the two parties. Suddenly one of the men turned their gaze towards the young couple.

"Ah, Hiashi-sama, Hinata-chan certainly has grown quite a bit, as well as her little sister. You will be graduating soon?" Hinata dabbed her lips with her napkin.

"Hai. This coming spring." The business man smiled at her quiet response.

"Don't be modest my girl, your father has mentioned your aspiration to become a doctor. That's quite a feat. Would you mind disclosing your plans to us? I'm very interested. My own daughter claims she would like to do the same, she's a few years younger than you, so I would like your advice as the to the best way to handling her current schooling." Hinata smiled, complying to the mans' request to change the subject and drawing in his partner and her father.

She went on about how excited she was and the schools she had applied to. She expressed her nervousness and with her small smile in place she succeeded in charming the business men as her father had hoped. As noon approached, the food having been cleared away some time ago, the party stood to take their leave. Hinata was preoccupied with the man who had asked for her to speak in the first place and Hiashi took his opportunity to call Sasuke aside.

"Is there something the matter Hyuuga-sama?" Sasuke managed to ask with only a small hint of bite in his tone, still being unable to be completely respectful to anyone except his own parents. Hinata's father, surprisingly, did not call him out on it.

"Sasuke, I understand that my daughter is extremely fond of you." Sasuke nodded, unsure of where exactly he was going to go with this. "I have warned her that if she, for whatever reason, allowed you to get in the way of her focus, I would not stand for it. She promised me and so far she has kept her word." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at the older man. "As time goes on and her acceptance letters are coming in I realize that, despite her keeping her word and still being at the top of her game… I can't help but feel that in the long run you are going to be what is holding her back."

Sasuke's stomach twisted. Hiashi continued. "I realize she's become rather attached but you seem like a sensible young man, the reason I asked for your presence here today was so that you could see for yourself." He gestured towards his eldest daughter. "Hinata is destined for bigger and greater things, she presents herself as a true professional and I can only expect for her future to be brighter than the sun itself. I am more proud of her than she realizes and as her father I have her best interest at heart. Sasuke, I know your family and know their plans for you to continue on in the Uchiha footsteps. I believe that if Hinata continues to associate with you and your family any further, you will be marring her path to success."

Sasuke could not believe this. Well, he could actually, but he had thought he was just being paranoid. He could not believe that he was actually going to ask him to…

'_Oh God…'_

"What I'm asking is, that you please end this… whatever it is that you two have, before it starts to seriously conflict with her future. It is better for it to end now, without too much hurt than it would be to end it later when she's more attached." It was obvious that Hiashi had not been paying much attention to his daughter's distraught behavior when they were apart. Sasuke swallowed hard and looked up to where Hinata was engaged in conversation with the business man and her sister. Despite all the hurt he was feeling and the terrible rage he felt towards her father, he could not help but agree with him.

Ever since he had promised his parents to go in to law enforcement as they had wanted, he could not help but feel as though his life just stopped. Everything was set in place and his future would be very much planned out and more ordinary than he would have hoped. He knew that Hinata had her own path set out, much more exciting and difficult than he could imagine. He knew deep down that that was a major part of his grumpy mood and overall distasteful attitude lately. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"I understand."

* * *

Later that day, Hinata was draped over his bed, long hair splayed around her as she flipped through an old photo album he had made their freshman year of high school. Sasuke sat across from her, chin resting on the back of his chair as he watched her giggle from time to time while flipping the pages.

He kept thinking back to her father's words. He wondered if he could bring himself to end his relationship with Hinata. To set her free so that she could grow and be great without him.

"What were you and my father talking about today?" She murmured, pale eyes never looking up as she continued to look at the photographs.

"Hn?" She closed the book carefully, setting it aside and looking up at Sasuke.

"I saw my father take you aside earlier… You also seem preoccupied. What did he say?" She spoke so calmly. He got up from his chair and crossed the room towards her, pushing her back on to his bed and nuzzling her neck, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. Sasuke watched as her usual blush appeared on the pale skin of her neck and bit at it playfully.

He was preoccupied, and worried, and feeling as though someone had turned off the sun, so how could he bring himself to pass on these terrible feelings to the one person who had always made him feel best?

"He was telling me about how proud he is of you." Sasuke heard her swallow. Hinata was in disbelief. "Your father spoke about you as though you were the world's answer to its' prayers and of all the wonderful things you were destined to do." He closed his eyes and searched his mind for the best way to continue. "He took me aside, to say all these things because-" He gasped, eyes flying open as Hinata's timid hand found its' way under his shirt, fingers tracing the outlines of well-defined abdominal muscle.

Sasuke grabbed at her hand and wretched it away and Hinata looked at him with wide eyes. His own gaze was intense and she could not remember the last time she had seen him look at her like that, she felt as though she were being swallowed up by him. She bit her lip and his eyes softened as his lips crashed in to hers, kissing her with ferocity and desperation, unlike any kiss he had given her before. When they had finally broken away, he looked her straight in the eye.

"Your father asked me to end things with you." Hinata's eyebrows furrowed.

"W-what?" She searched his face for any sign of a 'but' at that would suggest he would not comply with her father's wishes, but there was none. Anxiety swelled in her chest and she was having a difficult time breathing when he kissed her again, more loving this time around and with that she felt her whole world slipping away. "W-wh-"

"Hinata, I'm sorry but…" Tears had welled up in her eyes and he felt the patched up pieces of his heart beginning to break once more. "I'll take you home."

They did not speak one word on the drive back to her house and the only thing keeping his car from being completely silent were her occasional sniffles. He wished he could tell her just how much it hurt him to listen to her whimper, to realize that she would never be able to look at him again, that he would never get to touch her or speak to her as they had. It was all too sudden but Sasuke was not going back.

She did not look back at him after she got out of the car, nor did she hesitate at the front door. He suspected that she had retreated to her room as soon as she had crossed the threshold for fear of being confronted by one of the very men who was causing her so much pain. Still he waited until he saw the light in her bedroom window go on until he could bring himself to drive away.

Life without her would be unbearable, but it was for the better. Despite all the promises he had made to himself, it still could not be helped.

It was over.

* * *

_Dear Reader:_

One more chapter. An epilogue if you will. I would write it now, but I have class in the morning. This three year journey is coming to an end... (crickets). And the only one excited is me, as usual! Oh well (smile)

NewRageInc.


	12. Shattered Epilogue

_I do not own Naruto_

**Epilogue **

_Ten years later_

Sasuke crouched in an alley way, back against the brick wall of the building he was using to keep his cover. He cocked his gun and narrowed his eyes in the darkness of the night, watching for any sign of his partner. His fellow officers were placed around him in strategic positions. Shikamaru had planned everything out to the tee, there would be no room for error, this sting had been planned out for months and Sasuke was just about ready explode with adrenalin. The clouds overhead were heavy with rain and he could smell the lightening, adding to the energy already coursing through his veins.

There was a screech of tires on pavement and the roar of an engine began to get louder as the vehicles approached. Sasuke heard the crackle of his radio.

"_Something's wrong."_ Shikamaru growled. _"Karin, are you there? Over."_

"_They knew it was us!"_ A gruff, female voice answered. _"You have to get out of there!"_ She sounded winded and panicked and Sasuke cursed as gun shots were fired. He moved from his position as Shikamaru began barking out orders over the airwaves.

This wasn't the first time these drug traffickers had suddenly turned the tables on them. His father was at his wits end when it came to trying to bring them down, they being the main source of crime in the city of Konoha. He wasn't too surprised this happened, but he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. There had always been that small hope that this time would be it.

Sasuke found one of the other officers, Sai, and began working with him to try and push those criminals into submission by mere force, now that their strategy had failed them.

The last thing he remembered seeing was a man in a dark coat rush at them and suddenly, there was a searing pain at his left side. He grunted and fell down to his knees. Sasuke felt the warmth of blood on his skin and his vision began to blur as his hemorrhaging increased because of his palpitating heart.

"Sasuke-san." Sai called in his eerily calm voice. Chaos ensued and Sasuke tried to get back up, to push through the pain to help his comrades continue with their offense. But his body could not handle it.

The last thing he remembered was his partner rushing towards him before his face hit pavement

* * *

"It's not fair." Ino huffed. Stabbing at her cup of jell-o.

"Ino calm down. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama has too much going on in his life to remember _everyone's_ name at the hospital." Sakura said, stirring her cup of coffee.

"That's easy for you to say forehead, he _knows_ your name. I've been working here longer than the two of you guys and I'm still just 'Yamanaka' or 'blondie' or even worse 'tits'. What the hell kind of employer calls his employee 'tits'? While he's calling me that he's chasing you down the hall calling 'Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, let's go visit this patient together.' Gah!"

"Maybe it's because you're just a nurse?" Ino snapped her head up and look at Sakura.

"And what does _that_ have to do with anything? I'm one of the best nurses in this whole hospital, I'll have you know!"

Hinata scribbled some notes on the file before her, ignoring the two women because, well she had heard this very same discussion countless times before. She did not mean to be rude but she had more important things to take up her mind at the moment. The two women did not dwell on the topic long.

"So you're working in the E.R. tonight?" Sakura nodded.

"It's only for tonight though, I'm covering for one of the doctors who broke his leg last night in a bicycle accident. I'm a little excited for some action but everyone else told me not to get my hopes up, this town being so sleepy and all. With my luck it'll either be really boring and slow or really hectic and fast."

Sakura could not have begun to imagine what happened that evening.

She had been chatting with the parent of an infant whose temperature suddenly spiked when the ambulance was heard pull up. Nurses took flight while paramedics rushed in with a stretcher, blood drenched sheets visible from where Sakura stood. She excused herself and walked over, grabbing gloves and mask as she went.

Green eyes widened when she finally reached the gurney where she found a familiar head of dark messy hair.

"Sasuke."

"Doctor, do you know this man?" One of the nurses spoke. Sakura began work.

"I do. We need to extract the bullet and get him patched up." She spoke evenly, flushing Sasuke's wound with saline as she spoke. The nurse furrowed her brow.

"Haruno-sama, wouldn't you think it better if I called someone else to work on him then?"

"There's no time! Now don't just stand there, help me!" Sakura snapped. The nurse bowed her head and they continued on.

Sakura flushed the wound, pushing away the fact that she knew the man whose blood was staining her gloved hands at the moment. After many years of medical training, she knew what her job was and she had to keep focused. The staff worked around her relentlessly, and, in time, Sasuke was stabilized.

Sakura excused herself from the room after she had assured herself the nurses would take care of her old friend. As she peeled off bloodied gloves and washed up, memories of the past flooded her mind.

The last time she had seen Sasuke face to face was at their high school graduation. The atmosphere had been tense and he hadn't stuck around much to celebrate with their classmates. Most of their peers had turned their backs on him after the break-up since neither of them had ever disclosed the reason behind it. All they knew was what they saw in front of them and what they saw was an indifferent Sasuke and a tearful Hinata.

Sakura had not known the story until one late night shift at the hospital she and Hinata were doing their residency at. Hinata had confided to her pink haired friend about how her father had taken Sasuke aside that distant Sunday morning and how Sasuke felt the need to agree with him.

'_I regret not speaking my mind then… for not fighting their decision for me. I was so young and weak and… It is the only thing in the past that my mind keeps going back on and thinking 'What could I have changed?'"_

Sakura pulled her hair out of her face and hardened herself. A nurse walked down the hall.

"Excuse, would you happen to know where I could find Hyuuga-sama?"

* * *

Hinata wrote some notes on a chart and smiled up at the elderly woman who sat before her.

"Everything looks normal. Your heart is showing improvement after the procedure. Just take it easy and hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll feel confident in allowing you to release you so you can go home with your husband." The woman smiled in response.

"Thank you doctor." There was a knock at the door. Hinata turned to see Sakura poke her head in to the room, her smile in place for the patent in the room but her eyes betrayed her.

"Excuse me. Hinata-chan, I need a word." Hinata bowed herself out of the room and followed Sakura a little ways down the hall. Her friend's face immediately turned serious. Hinata furrowed her brows.

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" Sakura licked her lips.

"Well, yes. I just thought you would like to know that Sasuke showed up to the E.R. a little while ago with a bullet wound. I've stabilized him but… Well I just thought you'd like to know." Sakura turned on her heel and headed back in the direction of the emergency room.

"H-hai…" Hinata whispered eyes downcast. She bit her lip.

This was the first time she had heard Sasuke's name being spoken in a long time, though it was not the first time she had thought of him. He was like the ghost that enjoyed haunting the depths of her mind, often showing up at the most inopportune times. She had heard from Naruto about his graduating at the top of his class at the police academy. She knew he was often in the line of danger with the growing crime rates in their small town.

Hinata felt silly for not having been able to foresee his somehow ending at her hospital.

'_I should have relocated when I had the chance.'_

* * *

Sasuke awoke to a throbbing pain at his side and the groggy feel of being on heavy pain medication. He heard his mother cry out when she realized he was waking up. She was at his side in seconds.

"Are you alright honey? Do you need anything? Are you in pain? Should I call a nurse? "There were tears in her eyes as she smoothed away her youngest son's messy hair from his face. He grunted and she started sobbing, excusing herself from the room to try and regain some composure. Itachi replaced her at his side.

"That was a close call, wasn't it?" He heard his brother say quietly. Sasuke covered his eyes with his hand.

"That is an understatement."

"They said you were lucky."

"If I were lucky, I wouldn't have gotten shot." Itachi sucked his teeth.

"You've got that right." His brother shoved his hands in to his pockets. "Listen, about the doctor who treated you-" A knock at the door interrupted him. Both men looked up.

A very familiar, ghostly face peeked in. Her bottom lip trembled and Sasuke could feel his heart beat quicken.

"Ano, Uchiha-san, I was wondering if I could have a word." Itachi blinked a few times before taking the hint and walking out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. Hinata approached Sasuke's bed but made no move to go beyond the foot of it.

"Hi." She said after a few moments.

"Hi." He replied. Her gaze fell and she started fiddling with his charts.

"Sakura-chan told me about what happened. "

"Sakura?"

"She's the one who treated you…" Sasuke eyed his former girlfriend and couldn't help the pang of regret seep through his skin. He cleared his throat.

"You look good." She smiled, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I wish I could say the same for you." She choked.

"Hinata I-"

"I should have fought with you." She blurted and he snapped his mouth shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks as a decade of held up emotions began to spill out. " I should have fought with you and stood up for myself. I shouldn't have allowed you to… so easily… I could have- I just- Sasuke I could never stop loving you. After all these years, I could not even bring myself to begin to get over you and now here you are… You could have died." She stopped herself, closing her eyes and breathing. "You could have died and I would have never gotten to tell you that I still love you and that I miss you. I miss you so much so that it hurts…" She pulled a tissue out of the pocket of her lab coat and dabbed at her eyes. He beckoned her over.

"Stop crying." He ordered and she looked up, a little surprised at his sharp tone. "You've always meant the world to me." He began. "I was never good with words but..." He pulled her down to him and kissed her.

Sakura pushed her way through the door to see the two of them kiss and she retreated as softly as she could so they wouldn't notice and therefore ruin the moment. Mikoto came up behind her.

"Sakura-chan! Is everything alright?" Sakura waved her comment aside.

"Oh everything is fine, fine. I would _not_ go in there for a bit. Sasuke seems to be a little busy at the moment." She smiled at his mother and the light in Sakura's green eyes assured the older woman that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

_Dear Reader:  
_

_No time to proofread. Will do later if I feel like it. Test in less than twenty minutes. Need to get to class. It's over. Happy trails. On to something else! Leave me... err... something._

NewRageInc.


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